One Truth Prevails!
by YourLocalAlchemist
Summary: High school detective Shinichi Kudou has gone through a lot ever since his encounter with those two men in black that left him as a child. He has been living with childhood friend Ran Mouri and using her father, also a detective, to try and find those men again. However...what were to happen if she found out? What would happen if he became ill during a serial murder? (DISCONTINUED)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Conan arrives home from elementary school early that day. He tries to open the front door, but something heavy is blocking the way. He looks closer and sees a pair of legs. His eyes widen and he starts to back away, but he hears a familiar snore.

He snickered. _Yup, that sure is Uncle Kogoro;_ he thought to himself as he shoved the door open. Naturally, Kogoro Mouri was drunk and passed out.

His eyes narrowed. _Could he have a difficult case?_ He started to wonder, but he laughed aloud. _Nah, he gets drunk all the time!_ Since no one else was home, he sat at his uncle's desk and starting searching through the numerous papers, looking for something good.

He eventually finds a newspaper article saying there was a recent murder in Shinjuku… a young elementary child. _A child was murdered?_ He almost gasped aloud, but quickly put a hand over his mouth in case Kogoro might wake up; even if that chance was very slim.

He then started looking for all the information he could find on that messy desk concerning the elementary student. After a while and not finding very much, he felt his eyes start to grow heavy.

 _Ah, crap!_ He said this to himself as he placed his head carefully on the desk. _Having a kid's body sucks when you need to stay awake…_

* * *

"I'm home! …Hmm? Why is the door being blocked?" The door was then kicked completely off its hinges. Ran Mouri sighed. "When will he learn?" She then dragged her father onto the sofa, moving away all of the beer cans and empty cigarette boxes. She looked up and gasped as she saw Conan at her father's desk, asleep. She noticed his askew glasses and tie, rumpled hair, and small amount of drool and smiled.

 _That kid…_ She shook her head and approached Conan. _He's always working so hard…_ She removed his glasses and started to adjust his tie, but it felt different than something her father would wear.

 _Hmm? What could this be about?_ She took off his tie and noticed it was actually some kind of a gadget. She decided that if she wanted to know what it was, she would have to go to the one person who knows about strange inventions: Professor Agasa.

* * *

"What seems to be the problem, Ran?" Professor Agasa asked. "Still worried about Shinichi?"

Ran sighed and shook her head. "Not this time…" She handed Conan's tie to him. "Do you know what this is? I was straightening Conan's tie and found that it was some gadget…"

Professor Agasa cringed. _Shinichi, why did you have to take a nap in the open?!_ He then sighed and plopped in a chair. "I guess it's about time I told you, hmm?"

Ran gave a questioning look and slowly sat beside him. "What do you mean?"

Professor Agasa looked Ran directly in the eye. "You've suspected something, haven't you? About Conan, I mean. Something about him isn't right to you."

Ran's eyes widened in shock. "Y-yes…" she replied quietly. "I've thought that he is a lot like Shinichi…"

"That's because… he is Shinichi." He then explained to a surprised Ran about the mysterious pill that was given to him that turned him into a child on the night of the roller coaster murder and all of the different gadgets he had to use to keep his identity a secret but at the same time solve crimes.

Ran immediately thought of two particular times with Conan: the first when she confessed to him her love for Shinichi, and the other when they were in a hot tub together. Her face turned bright red.

"So… he really is Shinichi?" she whispered.

Professor Agasa nodded. "You understand why he hasn't told anyone else, right? If those mysterious men found out he was still alive, he would be doomed."

Ran thanked the professor and returned home, where Conan was still asleep and snoring softly.

 _You better be glad right now, Shinichi,_ she thought to herself. _If your child body wasn't this cute, you'd be dead by now._ She sighed, feeling herself wonder why Conan—or rather, Shinichi—didn't tell her his real identity. She felt that he could trust her, but she also knew where he was coming from; he _was_ a detective, after all. Instead of giving his tie back, she put it in her pocket. She would start her _own_ investigation.

* * *

Conan opened his bleary eyes and looked at the clock above him. He noticed that his glasses weren't on, even though he always falls asleep with them on. He sighed and shook his head; he knew Ran did it. He reached for his tie since it always goes askew when he falls asleep, but he was surprised to see it was not there. His eyes widened.

 _Could Ran have taken it? Wait… where is Ran?_ He quickly stood up and eventually found that her bedroom door was locked. He could also hear Ran talking to herself.

He quietly knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"

There was a gasp and what sounded like papers scattering. "S-sure…" The door was unlocked and Conan quickly jumped up to her bed, carefully stepping over all of the papers.

"S-sorry…" she stuttered. "My old diary's binding finally snapped." Her eyes avoided contact with Conan's, easily telling him that she had lied.

Conan grinned childishly, playing his innocent part. "Oh really… then why are there newspaper articles, Ran-neechan?"

Ran hesitated so slightly that only someone like Conan would notice. "I- keep them from when I win karate championships," she lied.

Conan grinned even wider. "Why are all of the papers typed?"

Ran sighed. "Get out, Conan-kun!" She shoved Conan out of the room and locked the door again, returning to her muttering.

Conan laughed quietly to himself. "Just as I thought… She's finally found out…" He jumped up and quickly ran to Professor Agasa's house.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at Professor Agasa's house, sopping wet from the recent start of rain.

"Shinichi, what are you doing here?" Professor Agasa picked up Conan and placed him on the sofa, giving him a warm towel. "You'll get sick if you're out in the rain!"

Conan coughed a little. "I'm fine, Professor," he replied, standing up and drying his hair. "Anyways… did you tell Ran?"

The professor sighed and nodded. "She found your bow tie earlier, probably while you were asleep."

Conan groaned. "Just as I figured…" he thought aloud, coughing again. "But why didn't you lie to her?"

Professor Agasa smiled sadly. "I think you can trust Ran," was all he said.

Conan started to cough yet again, and it left him shaking afterward.

Professor Agasa eyed Conan with a hint of concern. "Are you alright, Shinichi?"

Conan nodded, obviously lying. "Um… is it fine if I stay here… since it is already a downpour out there?" he whispered, growing paler by the second.

Professor Agasa bit his lip. _This sure is strange…_ he thought as he helped Conan to a spare bedroom. _Shinichi has never gotten sick since his body was shrunk by that pill._ He carefully placed Conan in the bed and felt his forehead. He was right; Conan had a fever.

He sighed and shook his head. "Shinichi, you better not try to leave this room while I go call Ran."

"Why… are you calling Ran?" he inquired quietly, closing his eyes.

"I need someone here to take care of you… I'm not the best when it comes to medical or health issues." He laughed to himself and ruffled Conan's hair. "You should get some rest until Ran shows up." With that, he left the room, leaving Conan to his thoughts.

 _I slightly wish I told him…_ he said to himself. _I wish I told him why I got home early… But why would I not get sick until now? Is it just a coincidence? When I was still Shinichi Kudou, I rarely got sick… wait! A child's immune system is weaker than a teenager's!_ He quietly rolled out of bed, ignoring all of the pain and light-headedness, and crawled to the open door so he could eavesdrop.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"This is the professor. Do you think you could come over with a first aid kit, pillows, and blankets?"

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes… you see, Conan… or, Shinichi… had come over while it was raining and seems to have caught something."

"He's sick?! I'll be over right away! Make sure he stays in bed and has a cold cloth for his face!" The call ended, and Conan returned to bed, barely avoiding being caught.

Professor Agasa eyed Conan for a moment before smiling. "Why?" was all he said.

"Why what?" Conan asked, looking innocent.

Professor Agasa shook his head and sighed. "You made two mistakes." He put up his index finger. "One: your blanket was tightly tucked in, but now isn't." He put up a second finger. "Two: I can see spots on the floor that are the exact same size of your knees, showing me that you were crawling out of bed to eavesdrop. Am I wrong?"

Conan grinned. "You're right," he replied quietly. "Even someone like me leaves some evidence…"

"Evidence for what?" a voice asked. Ran then walked in the room with everything she was told to bring.

Conan jumped slightly, and then winced from the start of body ache and nausea.

Ran noticed Conan grow even paler than he already was. "Are you alright?"

Conan shook his head. "I think I'm gonna be sick…" As always, his prediction was right. He started to retch and vomited on the bed, making him collapse back onto his pillow.

Ran pursed her lips. "Professor, you clean up the mess. I will give him some medicine." She then began to search in her bag for the bottle.

Conan's eyes widened. _What will another pill do to my body?_ He looked to the professor and mouthed to him the question.

Professor Agasa smiled. "You'll be fine, Shinichi," he whispered, allowing Conan to fall into an uneasy sleep.

"Will he be okay, Professor?" Ran asked quietly as she started wiping Conan's pale, sweaty face with a cold cloth.

Professor Agasa patted her on the back in assurance. "You know he'll be fine… You know him better than anyone!"

 _I hope you will be alright… please, Shinichi…_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Please, Ran! Let me investigate!"

"No! You are staying here and resting!"

This was how the next day went. Conan wanted to investigate the murdered elementary child, but Ran would not let him out of bed, let alone to a crime scene.

"Professor, can't I do _something_ about this case?" Conan turned to Professor Agasa, who was handing him a breakfast of corn flakes.

Professor Agasa thought for a moment. "Hmm… you could do some research if you stayed in bed, but it would be tricky. Oh! Do you still have your bow tie?"

Conan's expression darkened. "Someone took it while I was sleeping yesterday…" He knew Ran did it, but he did not feel like explaining all of it.

Ran looked down at her feet. "Actually, I have it…" She reached in her pocket and gave Professor Agasa Conan's bow tie. "I guess I forgot to give it back to him yesterday…"

"Why would you have my bow tie, Ran?" Conan inquired innocently.

Ran hesitated. "I… had started to adjust it while you were asleep since it was tilted, but something was odd about it. I took it here and…" Her voice faltered slightly. "The professor told me the truth about you…"

Conan sighed. "Give it back, Ran." He held out his right hand. "I need it if I want to get any information on this case."

Ran handed him the bow tie, feeling reluctant. Conan quickly turned a few knobs and spoke into it… in Shinichi's voice.

He smiled. "Now… give me the phone, please." Ran handed him the phone, and Conan called Inspector Megure.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"This is Shinichi Kudou."

"Ah, Shinichi, I haven't heard from you in quite a while!"

"Yes, well, I've been… busy. Right now, I need some information about that elementary child that was murdered in Shinjuku recently."

"Um… that information is currently very confidential. If you need to know anything, you would have to come here in person."

"Oh, is that so? I will have Ran or Professor Agasa come for me since I'm busy."

Inspector Megure agreed, and the conversation ended, leaving Conan winded.

He closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths. "So… can one of you go for me and get that information?"

Ran started to agree, but Professor Agasa interjected. "It would be best if you stayed and took care of Shinichi," he said. "You are probably the only one that can get _him_ to rest… Besides, I'm guessing this case is pretty bad to already be confidential."

Ran sighed, nodded, and sat next to Conan. The professor then left, not noticing that Ran was starting to cry.

"R-ran?" Conan whispered, surprised. "Are you okay?"

Ran smiled, wiping away the tears. "I should be asking you that, Conan-kun… or, Shinichi… Does it matter what I call you?"

"It would be better if you still call me Conan since I _kinda_ have a kid's body…"

Ran laughed a little and kissed him on the cheek. "Alright, Conan-kun…" she whispered. "But you better be asleep by the time I get back from getting my bento box. If not…" She threw a kick in the air before leaving the room.

Conan removed his glasses and closed his heavy eyes. _I know she's not alright,_ he thought. _She's worried about me, even though I'm the high school detective Shinichi Kudou! Besides, all I have is a simple cold! Hmm… but I can't help but wonder what Ran was doing with all of those papers and articles…_

When Ran returned upstairs five minutes later, Conan was (thankfully) asleep, but also tossing and turning feverishly. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and started wiping his face with the cloth, calming him.

She sighed in relief before giving him Tylenol. _I hope this will work…_ She couldn't help but think that as she lied her head down next to his.

The next thing she knew, Professor Agasa was shaking her awake, and screaming could be heard.

"Wake up, Ran! It's Shinichi; I think he's in pain!"

Ran quickly sat up and saw Conan screaming and thrashing around. "Go away!" Conan cried. "Leave me alone!"

Ran's eyes widened in surprise. "I think… he's stuck in a nightmare, Professor." She adjusted Conan to a sitting position and managed to wake him.

"Are you alright, Conan-kun?" she asked in concern. "It sounded like you were having a bad dream…"

Conan's face paled in embarrassment. "Did I… react badly?"

Professor Agasa nodded. "You were screaming and hollering; you almost knocked yourself out of bed!"

For once, Conan was at a loss for words. He only stared at his hands, deeply thinking. _Why would I have reacted badly from a dream? I know that I normally just wake up gasping for breath, but it was turned into a whole scene… Well, I guess I haven't had that particular dream before, so I must have been surprised…_

Ran noticed Conan's look of concern. "Hey Conan-kun, what was your dream about?" she suddenly asked.

Conan looked to her in shock before turning his gaze back to his hands. "I- I am worried about you betraying me and telling people about me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Ow, that hurt! Why did you slap me?!"

"You shouldn't believe what dreams tell you! Do you think _I_ would betray you?"

Conan closed his eyes and sighed. "You're right," he whispered, feeling something wet fall onto his clenched fists. "I'm sorry…" Then, to Ran and Professor Agasa's surprise, he ran out of the room, tears streaming down his face.

Ran started to leave, but Professor Agasa grabbed her wrist. "Let him go," he said. "It would be best if we let him think over it for a little while."

* * *

Conan had locked himself in the basement and started kicking a soccer ball to clear the thoughts heaviest on his mind.

 _Why would I start crying… in front of Ran? Is it just that all children tend to cry easier? No… it has to be that she said something… that I would not predict. _He put down the soccer ball, feeling light-headed, and sat down.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in, Conan-kun?"

Conan shakily stood up and opened the door for her, not being able to stop himself from collapsing at her feet.

Ran gasped. "Are you alright, Conan-kun?" She adjusted Conan to a sitting position and crouched next to him. "Do you think you can get back to your room by yourself?"

Conan was about to lie, but his "Shinichi instincts" told him not to. He instead shook his head, slumped against the wall. He blushed a little when he asked, "Can you carry me?"

Ran also started to blush, but she didn't want to make it more awkward. She couldn't forget that he was still Conan Edogawa, a child. "Sure!" She gave him a piggy-back ride, and he managed to doze off on the way.

Ran smiled as she carefully laid him in bed, kissing him on the forehead. "Pleasant dreams, Shinichi…"

* * *

Everyone thought sleep would help Conan, but he felt worse; he was vomiting every twenty minutes.

Conan coughed, trembling immensely. "Can't I… do some research on this case?"

Ran sighed. "No, Conan-kun," she replied. "You can't even keep anything down! You just need to rest, and this will all be over before you know it."

Conan closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing to make it look like he was asleep. In reality, he was going to eavesdrop on Ran.

Ran's quick gasps of breath told Conan that she was crying again. "How can I tell you, Shinichi?" she whispered. "How am I supposed to tell you that you don't have a cold, but in fact pneumonia? How am I alone supposed to help you and keep your secret?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Conan quickly opened his eyes in shock, no longer caring about his cover. "I have… pneumonia?" he asked quietly. "Why didn't you…?" He lurched to the side away from Ran and vomited, leaving him pale and trembling.

Ran quickly cleaned up the mess and sat next to Conan, gently rubbing his back.

Conan smiled, the glint of amusement in his eyes seeming just like Shinichi. "You said you couldn't take care of me, Ran-neechan," he said. "And yet, it seems that you always know exactly what to do to make someone feel better." He looked Ran directly in the eye, growing serious. "Thank you…Ran-san." He closed his eyes and drifted off.

Tears glinted in Ran's eyes as she adjusted Conan's pillow before leaving the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

"So… how was Shinichi?" a voice asked. It was Professor Agasa, who had just returned from the inspector's headquarters in Beika City.

Ran sighed and leaned back against the door. "There's no doubt he has pneumonia…" She paused for a moment. "But… he believes that he will be just fine; that there is nothing wrong with him except a little cold. He thinks that he can get back to investigating in a few days…"

Professor Agasa laughed. "He never changes…" he thought aloud. "Is he asleep already? I need to tell him the information on that murder in Shinjuku."

Ran smiled a little and nodded. "I can pass it onto him when he wakes up if you want."

Professor Agasa agreed and sat down in a chair in the hallway. "The girl that was killed was called Rika Izumi, daughter of Tamaki Izumi, current president of Izumi Electronics, the top electronic company in Japan as of now. At first, they thought it was a stab wound in her right arm, but they later found cyanide in her body, showing it was poison that slowly killed her."

"Was there… anything else? I know Shinichi is the kind of person that wants to know everything, especially the easily-missed parts."

Professor Agasa thought for a moment. "Well… they did say they found a note written by Rika. The only problem… she was only three, so she does not know how to write properly. Most of it was meaningless scribbles, but she was somehow taught how to write her name. I copied it down in my notebook, so you can let Shinichi see it when he wakes up later." He handed it to Ran and went downstairs to his lab.

Ran returned to Conan's room, where he was sleeping soundly. She looked closer and noticed something odd about his expression; was it… sadness?

* * *

 _Conan found himself back in his elementary class with Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi. They were talking about Kamen Yaiba again… normal for them. Apparently, a new movie was going to come out the next day, and they all bought theatre tickets._

 _'Hey, hey!' he told himself. 'Can't you act… mature?'_

 _"Hey, Conan!" Genta's voice boomed, surprising Conan. "Whatcha doing? Are you solving a case alone again? You can't forget we are the Detective Boys!"_

 _Conan sighed, rolling his eyes. "No" was all he said before pulling out a textbook… or so the other students thought. It was actually an invention given to Conan as an early birthday gift by Professor Agasa. It would appear that he was studying, but he would actually be reading any mystery novel in his father's large collection._

 _Ayumi suddenly started giggling. "I know someone's secret…" she started chanting._

 _Conan eyed her, growing slightly nervous. "What do you mean, Ayumi-chan?"_

 _Ayumi grinned mischievously. "Someone told me a secret… Someone has an alias…" she sang to herself._

Conan jolted awake, feeling his fear slowly resurface. He turned toward the door and saw Ran in a chair at his bedside, asleep. He smiled and sat up, ignoring all of the pain and nausea.

 _I owe you one, Ran…_ He quickly kissed her on the cheek and slowly made his way downstairs, using the wall as support. He thought he was the only one up, but he quickly found out he wasn't when he saw Professor Agasa at the foot of the stairs.

"Shinichi!" he cried. "What are you doing? You should be in bed!"

Conan sat down on the stairs, feeling very light-headed. "Tell me… what did the inspector say about the case?"

Professor Agasa sighed, carefully picking up Conan. "I'll tell you when you can stay conscious… I can tell you're fighting it, aren't you? Just rest; Ran and I can take care of you."

Conan started to protest. "You don't even know what's wrong with me!" he exclaimed as loud as he could. "It could be a side-effect of the pill…" His eyes widened as he slowly realized he said too much.

Professor Agasa's expression frowned with concern. "What do you mean, Shinichi?" He looked back, but Conan had lost consciousness. He shook his head and placed him back in bed. Apparently, all of the commotion woke Ran.

"What… is going on?" she yawned and opened her eyes. She gasped as she saw Professor Agasa placing Conan back in bed. "Did he leave bed? What happened?"

Professor Agasa sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes, he left immediately after waking up," he began slowly. "I tried to get him to go back here to rest, but he protested and… and said that this illness may be a side-effect of the pill that syndicate gave him."

Ran was not surprised. "Anything's possible," she whispered. "With a drug as mysterious as that, we don't know what it will do, how it will affect, or when it will affect. I have a feeling that this will get far worse, however…"

* * *

Over the next week, Conan was in and out of consciousness. He wanted to research the Shinjuku murder case, but he could only stay conscious for about ten minutes each time. All Professor Agasa could tell his school was that he had caught the flu and that he would be back soon. Ayumi had come over to visit on the seventh day after school to bring his homework and was shocked when she saw how bad Conan looked. He had hardly eaten anything during the whole week, so he had lost a lot of weight; he was paler than paper, yet had flushed cheeks; it was difficult for him to even sit up because of his trembling.

"H-hi, Ayumi-chan," he whispered, faking a smile. "T-thanks for b-bringing m-my homework…" He started to cough, warning him of a vomiting spell. He quickly leaned over to the well-placed bucket and retched, but nothing came out.

Ayumi's eyes widened and she rushed toward Conan. "Conan-kun!" she cried. "You don't have anything in your tummy! Are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything?" She helped Conan lay back down, and he passed out in her arms.

"How is he doing…?" Ran started to ask, but gasped when she saw the scene. "Is he okay? What happened?"

Ayumi started to cry as she explained everything to Ran. "He's really hurting!" she sobbed. "I want to help him get better, but he'll just get worse!"

Ran hugged her and smiled. "He will be fine as long as I take care of him," she assured. "You should get home before your mother starts to worry." She led Ayumi out of the room before her emotions slipped and she began to cry.

"What… is wrong, Ran?" Conan whispered, barely conscious. "Why are you crying? Are you still worried about me?"

Ran sniffed and nodded, stroking Conan's hair.

Conan sighed. "I will be fine, Ran," he said before losing consciousness again.

Ran bit her lip, considering a thought. Eventually, she stood up and went downstairs to Professor Agasa's lab, where he was making something for Conan.

"Um… can I talk to you for a moment, Professor?" she whispered.

Professor Agasa put down the gadget and sat next to her, an expression of concern on his face. "What's wrong, Ran-san?"

Ran put her head in her hands, hiding her tears. "He's dying, Professor!" she sobbed. "He's dying, and there's nothing I can do to help him!"

Professor Agasa slowly approached Ran and hugged her tightly. "You can be there for him," he said quietly. "That alone makes Shinichi feel a lot better. Right now, I am trying to make a device that can tell me what exactly is wrong with him. In the meanwhile, you can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't try to leave again."

Ran laughed a little, feeling better. She thanked the professor and returned upstairs. Conan was still asleep, but he had shadows under his eyes that were almost black, as well as pale skin and a nervous expression.

Ran placed Conan's small, clenched fists in her hands. "Please, Shinichi… don't die!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Will he be alright, Professor? He hasn't woken for three days now. Could he be…?"

"No, Ran-san, he is not dead. He still has a weak pulse and is breathing. I think his body is trying to find a way to heal itself, even though it should be more developed than it is now."

"What can we do then?! He is dying here, and we are just standing here watching!"

"Calm down, Ran-san. My machine is ready, so we can try it out to see what it says."

"A-alright…" Conan felt Ran kiss him on the forehead before she left the room.

Professor Agasa sighed in relief. "Now… let's see what this has to say!" Conan felt something being placed on his head, some kind of helmet, and a slight whirring sound began. After a minute, it dinged, and Professor Agasa took it off of Conan's head to analyze the results.

"Now analyzing…" a robotic voice spoke. "The patient, Shinichi Kudou, age seven, can be diagnosed with pneumonia. He has already had chest pains, fever, difficulty breathing, dehydration, fatigue, light-headedness, and coughing. If not treated immediately, it could easily result in hospitalization or worse. For treatment, IVs and oxygen therapy are the best option."

"How… did you do that?" Conan whispered, too weak to even open his eyes.

Professor Agasa laughed to himself. "That's not important," he replied. "What is important is that I get you the proper treatment… and fast."

"Can't I… just go to a hospital?" Conan asked, barely audible.

Professor Agasa sighed. "I wish it were that easy," he said quietly. "The doctors would most likely find the pill in your body and you would be sent away for examination. The only option I know of is to call a private doctor over here." He stood up and left the room, telling Ran to watch over Conan while he made a phone call.

Once Ran entered the room and sat beside him, Conan forced open his eyes and smiled. "Hey," he said.

A hint of anger flashed in Ran's eyes. "Hey?!" she exclaimed. "You've been unconscious for three days, and you just say 'hey?'" She sighed and shook her head. "Some people never change… Also, how are you feeling? Did that invention of the professor's help at all?"

Conan hesitated, wondering if he should tell the truth or not. "Well, to be honest…" he replied slowly, "I've had better days… Professor Agasa's invention did diagnose me with pneumonia, and I need immediate treatment. That's why…" His vision faded for a moment, and he fell into Ran's arms.

"Conan-kun!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

Conan sat up, taking deep breaths and clutching his head. "I-I think so…"

Ran pursed her lips. "Rest," she ordered. "You are staying right here in this bed until you're all better."

Conan smiled, a glint of amusement sparkling in his dulled eyes. _You're right… some people never change…_ He leaned up against Ran and closed his eyes, the warmth of her body lulling him to sleep.

Ran smiled and hugged him, stroking his hair and whispering a lullaby.

Professor Agasa quietly knocked on the door. "Is Shinichi asleep yet?" he asked.

Ran nodded, feeling tears start to form.

Professor Agasa sighed. "Why haven't you told him about the case yet, Ran-san?" he suddenly asked.

Ran hesitated. "I… feel that he shouldn't know about the case because he will be worrying about someone else rather than his own health… Besides, he will devote all of his time trying to solve it instead of resting like he should!"

Professor Agasa laughed. "You do have a point," he replied, "but I'm afraid you will have to tell him as soon as possible… You see, there was a second child murdered a couple hours ago."

* * *

Indeed, there was a second child murdered. Her name was Aiko Kimura. She was the daughter of Ichirou Kimura, president of the leading bank in Japan. She was killed in the exact way as Rika Izumi: stab wound in the right arm and cyanide in the body. However, there was no note like Rika's case. Instead, there was a necklace found that had a single word: family.

"Why do I have to tell him?" she asked, feeling scared. "He's not going to worry about himself if he finds out!"

Professor Agasa sighed. "We don't have much of a choice, Ran-san," he replied. "Nobody else has enough intelligence to solve this case."

"My dad can solve it; he has deductive skills!" Ran protested.

Professor Agasa burst out laughing. "You think your father solved all of those cases?" he replied. "Tell me, where is Conan while your father is 'solving cases?'"

Ran was taken aback. "Well…" she said slowly, "Conan is usually close to my father so he can give the inspector evidence that he found…" Her eyes widened. "Wait… is my dad called 'Sleeping Kogoro' because he's knocked out?"

Professor Agasa sighed again. "Yes," he confirmed, "Shinichi has a watch that has a tranquilizer dart and his bow tie to change his voice. That is also why he seems to disappear during cases; he is investigating while your father and the inspector are stumped."

Ran began to think when she remembered something. "Speaking of Shinichi… did you get a doctor to come?"

Professor Agasa nodded, relieved. "I may have to pay him a bit of hush money if he finds anything, but he will probably be more concerned about the pneumonia. He will be coming over in…" He looked at his watch. "Five minutes… could you keep a close eye on him while I clean up a bit downstairs?"

Just then, the phone rang. Ran quickly answered it and realized it was her father.

"RAN, WHY ARE YOU NOT HOME COOKING ME DINNER?" Kogoro Mouri's voice drunkenly screamed at her. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HOME TWO HOURS AGO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Ran sighed, shaking her head. "I'm at the professor's house," she replied calmly. "Shin- or, Conan got sick, so I'm here taking care of him."

Kogoro was so drunk that he didn't notice Ran's slip-up. "I DON'T CARE IF THAT BRAT'S SICK!" he exclaimed. "COME MAKE ME DINNER!"

Ran politely refused and hung up.

Professor Agasa smiled. "Was that your father's drunken lecture?" he asked.

Ran nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. "My dad always gets himself drunk…"

"That's true…" he agreed, chuckling. He then went downstairs… just in time. The doctor had just shown up at the house.

"Are you Hiroshi Agasa?" the doctor asked.

Professor Agasa nodded. "Please come in, he is asleep in an upstairs bedroom." He led the doctor, who introduced himself as Doctor Tanaka, to Conan's bedroom.

The doctor closely eyed Conan. "Hmm… it seems he does have a fever, as well as dehydration, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Am I wrong?"

Ran and Professor Agasa admitted that he was right.

The doctor sighed, thinking. "How long has he been sick?" he asked.

Ran thought for a moment. "Two weeks," she replied quietly. "We thought he would be improving by now, but he has only gotten worse."

The doctor closed his eyes. "Alright," he said. "What we need to do now is give him an IV and let him rest for a little while. When he wakes, I will ask him some questions to see how bad it is. Could you get me my bag by the door?"

Ran quickly got up and gave him the bag, taking note of how heavy and bulky it was. _Why would I want to know something like that?_ Ran asked herself. _Well, I guess I am becoming a little like Shinichi…_ She laughed to herself and sat next to Conan, who was starting to break out in a sweat.

The doctor thanked Ran and pulled out an IV bag already filled, poking it into Conan's veins. "He should be fine now," he said. "He is getting fluids, so you will notice some color come back to his face and he might even ask for something to eat. I must leave for a little while; I have another patient to take care of. Is it fine if I am gone for two hours?"

Ran felt nervous and reluctant, but she knew that Shinichi wouldn't want her worrying about him. "Alright," she replied, "but please try to get back as soon as you can; we don't know what may happen to him."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

When Conan awoke, he was glad to find that he was no longer nauseous, just tired. The first thing he saw when he awoke was an IV hooked up to his arm, showing that a doctor had come recently to treat him. He turned to his side and noticed toast, water, and an old notebook on the table beside him. Naturally, he immediately grabbed the notebook. The last entry was specifically for him.

 _Shinichi- Date: 5-3_

 _I know you are not doing too well, but I know you will read this as soon as you wake up. First off, I know you may wonder how long you were asleep. The answer is five days. There were small amounts of time in which you would mutter something, but that was all we got out of you. The doctor has been coming every few hours to check on you, and he said he can't tell for sure if you are improving or not until you wake up. Since I know you are already growing impatient, I will explain the murder case to you._

 _First, it is no longer only one murder; a second one was reported not too long ago. Both were young, elementary daughters of presidents of big companies. They were both killed by cyanide in the body, as well as a stab wound to the right arm. For the first victim, there was a note written by her, but the only thing we could see clearly was her name (I copied it in the next page). The second victim did not have a note; instead, there was a necklace with the word 'family' written inside of it. This is all that we could find for now, but you would have to call Inspector Megure later to see if he can find anything else._

 _I know you won't like me saying this, but please get better soon, Shinichi! We are all worried about you!_

 _-Hiroshi Agasa_ _AND Ran Mouri_

 _P.S. Shinichi, you do not want to know what would happen if you don't get better soon!_

Conan smiled and put the notebook back on the table; he knew Ran had taken it without anyone knowing to write that last part. He sat up and began to think about the case… or rather, case _s_.

 _Hmm… so there was a note found at one, and the word 'family' at the other… Right now, the note only looks like meaningless scribbles. Agh, think, Shinichi!_ He sighed. _I can't concentrate… I feel… kinda sleepy…_ Before he knew it, he was sliding back into sleep when Ran went to check on him.

She gasped and rushed toward Conan. "Conan-kun, get up!" she exclaimed. "You can't go back yet; you just came back!"

Conan tried with all of his strength and managed to regain part of his focus. He gave a small smile and whispered an apology. "I guess I can't help it…"

Ran shook her head and hugged Conan tightly. "It's okay," she said quietly. "As long as you're awake, I'm fine." She did not look fine, however. Anyone would be able to notice that she had not slept very much for the past few days; there were dark shadows under her eyes, her skin was slightly pale, and she looked dead on her feet.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Conan asked. "You look almost as bad as I probably do."

Ran laughed a little. "I'm fine," she lied. "Also… did you read the note?"

Conan nodded. "That's the first thing I did when I awoke," he replied, "but I can't seem to focus now…" He started to immerse himself in his thoughts again, but Ran interrupted him.

"Get some rest then," she said. "I can stay here with you if you want."

Conan smiled and closed his eyes. _You're the one who needs me,_ he thought as he entered the realm of his dreams.

 _Shinichi was chasing the culprit of a recent murder case down an alleyway at midnight._

 _"Come back here!" he exclaimed. "You can't escape the truth!"_

 _The culprit only laughed and stopped. He turned around and grinned. In his arms with a knife to her throat was Ran._

 _Shinichi gasped, backing away slightly. "Ran!" he cried._

 _"You want the girl, right?" the culprit sneered. "All you have to do is let me go free…"_

 _"No!" Shinichi could not stop himself. "You are a murderer and deserve punishment for what you have done!"_

 _The culprit sighed. "As you wish…" he whispered as he chopped at Ran's throat. Leaving her to die, he rushed away._

 _"Ran!" Shinichi screamed. "Ran, stay with me! Ran!"_ Conan quickly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, and noticed a cool, damp cloth was covering his entire face. He felt someone stroking his hair; the hands were Ran's.

"Shh…" she whispered. "It's alright, Shinichi… it's only a dream…"

Conan's eyes widened. _Uh-oh… did I make another scene because of a nightmare?_ He faked a cough, letting Ran know he was awake.

Ran gasped and hugged Conan. "You're okay!" she exclaimed. "I was worried about you when I heard you screaming my name out of nowhere. Did you have another nightmare? What was it about?"

Conan hesitated. "It… it was about you, Ran," he whispered. "The dream was about you being killed by a culprit…" _Because of my foolishness…_

* * *

"What should we do, Doctor? He keeps having nightmares!"

"Calm down, young lady. I'm afraid I can't do anything to make him stop having nightmares, but I can give him something to help him sleep. Is that fine?"

Ran hesitated. "S-sure…" she replied, for some reason feeling reluctant. She then yawned, reminding her that she had not slept for quite a while.

Doctor Tanaka smiled. "You should take some of this as well," he said, handing her a blue pill. "This is to help you sleep easier and longer."

Ran thanked Doctor Tanaka and went to the other spare bedroom next to Conan's. She placed the pill in her mouth and began to silently pray.

 _Please… someone help him… don't die, Shinichi…_

* * *

"Child, please wake up; you must take this pill."

"No!" Conan exclaimed. "I'm just fine without a pill!" He was suspecting the doctor of foul play, so he did not want to risk anything by taking the blue pill.

Doctor Tanaka sighed. "I can't force you if you don't want it…" he whispered, "but you will regret it when you continue to have nightmares." He silently left the room, and Professor Agasa went in to check on Conan.

"How are you, Shinichi?" he asked.

Conan bit his lip. "There is something odd about that doctor…" he thought aloud. "Something… just isn't right…"

Professor Agasa smiled. "You've dealt with far too many murder cases, Shinichi," he replied. "Speaking of which, did you read the note?"

Conan nodded. "I read it when I woke up a little while earlier," he said. "Also… how is Ran doing? She didn't look so good when she came to check on me earlier…"

Professor Agasa laughed quietly. "There is no need to worry about her, Shinichi," he replied. "She is a strong girl; you know that! Even so, the doctor still gave her a pill to help her sleep…" He was interrupted when Conan quickly jumped out of bed. He gasped as light-headedness set in, but he continued and rushed toward Ran's room.

"Ran!" Conan gasped for breath as he collapsed at Ran's bedside. As he predicted, she was unconscious and there was a bluish tinge starting to form around her lips. "Professor, she's been poisoned! Get me some antidote, quickly! I'll perform CPR!" He managed to calm his breathing and performed CPR, getting her to breathe again.

Professor Agasa quickly got the antidote, which he always kept hidden so he could easily access it, and gave a dose of it to Ran.

Conan sighed in relief. _Thank goodness we could save her…_ he managed to think before tumbling to the floor, darkness enveloping him.

Professor Agasa smiled, picking up Conan. _And you say you don't care for people besides yourself… It's the other way around, and you know it!_ Professor Agasa thought that was the biggest thought he had on his mind, but he began to wonder about what Conan told him: who _is_ Doctor Tanaka, and what was he hiding?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The next day, a new guest came over because of rumors that Conan was sick. It was none other than Shinichi's rival, Heiji Hattori.

"Who is it?" Professor Agasa asked through a speaker by the gate.

"Heiji Hattori, the Great Detective of the West."

Professor Agasa laughed. "Come on in, Heiji-kun!" He opened the door to greet Heiji, but he stopped him in the doorway.

"Ran knows," he whispered. "I had to tell her."

Heiji nodded, unsurprised. "Where is his room?" Professor Agasa led Heiji upstairs to Conan's room, where he was actually awake but coughing a lot.

"Shinichi, there is a guest to see you," Professor Agasa said through the door. "Is it fine if I let him in?"

Conan laughed to himself. "Alright," he replied, "let Hattori in." Heiji alone entered the room and sat next to Conan. Conan's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here, Hattori?"

Heiji laughed. "How could you not know what today is?" he exclaimed. "I contacted your parents and they told me today was your birthday!"

Conan gasped. "That's right…" he thought aloud. "But why would you come all the way from Osaka just to say happy birthday?"

Heiji shook his head, grinning. "Your parents told me that no one ever remembered your birthday," he replied, "so I am going to celebrate it since your parents are leaving today from America." He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a small box. "Happy birthday, _Chiisana Tantei-han._ "

Conan, shocked, opened the box. Inside was a stack of pictures from the crime scenes of Rika Izumi and Aiko Kimura… as well as a third child.

His eyes widened. "Who is the third child?" he asked.

Heiji sighed. "They found her yesterday at her father's office," he replied quietly. "Her name is Yuno Takahashi, daughter of Mitskuni Takahashi. Apparently, she died the same way as the other two, but she died about six days ago, according to rigor mortis."

Conan groaned. "Let me guess… no witnesses?"

Heiji shook his head. "There was one witness," he said, "but she didn't actually see it happen. She had entered Yuno's room to wake her from a nap and found her bleeding. The girl then whispered…" His voice faltered slightly. "She said 'I remember him from somewhere.'"

Conan frowned. "Did you take a picture of the note Rika gave us?"

Heiji nodded, not quite catching on. "What are you going to do…?" His eyes widened and he cut himself off. "Are you sure that will work?"

Conan only shrugged and closely examined the picture.

 **りか**

 _Hmm… her name can be visible, but the rest is only scribbles… I am able to tell that she had written it in a hurry, as if she were about to be caught…_ His breath caught. _That's it; she must have been kidnapped! The only problem…is the fact whether the other two were kidnapped as well or murdered right there. Wait… it doesn't make sense; the crime and note were both found at her father's company… Why would she have written it in a hurry? Was she about to die when she thought of writing it? If so, she shouldn't have been able to write her name that neatly for a three year old… unless she had known it for a long time…_

"Hey, whatcha thinkin' bout, Kudou?" Heiji asked. "I can help too!"

"Alright," Conan replied slowly, "I need my bow tie and the phone."

Heiji gave him a look and handed him both of the items that were already in his possession. "Agasa said you may need these," he explained with a smile.

Conan rolled his eyes and turned the knobs on the tie to be set to Inspector Megure's voice. He then dialed the number written in Professor Agasa's notebook for the Izumi family. Luckily, Rika's mother Naomi answered.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Um yes, this is Inspector Megure from Beika City. Can I ask you a question about your daughter Rika?"

"Um… sure…"

"Alright… when did you teach her how to write hiragana?"

"I never taught her how to write it! I only taught her how to read basic hiragana, mainly her name."

"Ah, I see… thank you, ma'am." Conan hung up, feeling beads of sweat start to form on his forehead.

"What was that about, Kudou?" Heiji asked.

"Look at this…" Conan panted, shakily giving Heiji the picture of Rika's message. "Does this look like a three-year-old wrote it?"

Heiji shook his head. "Does that mean… the murderer wrote it?"

Conan nodded. "That is a possibility…" he whispered as he grew paler.

Heiji finally started noticing. "Hey, you okay, Kudou?" He gasped as Conan lurched forward and clutched his chest, falling on top of Heiji and his eyes rolling back in his head; he had lost consciousness.

Heiji sighed. _Kudou must be really sick… How is he going to recover and solve the case?_

* * *

"No! You can't wake him, Heiji!"

"I have to, Ran-san! He must know about this immediately!"

Heiji and Ran screamed at each other, debating whether to wake Conan or not. The only problem was that he woke due to the arguing.

"What… are you two fighting about?" Conan whispered.

Ran sighed, shook her head, and left Heiji to tell his message to Conan.

"Remember when you brought up Rika's note?" he began slowly. "I went there to investigate, but… the scene has been completely cleaned. Nothing is left of it."

"What?!" Conan cried. "How could it have been cleaned when I had three officers guard it from all doorways and windows?"

Heiji shrugged. "All I know is that it was not there when I went to the scene," he replied. "What can we do now, Kudou? It's not like pictures can be checked for fingerprints of what it took…"

"Did you see if they checked the area for fingerprints earlier?" Conan asked.

Heiji nodded. "I asked them, but they did not think there would be any, for some reason…"

Conan was confused as well. _They always check for fingerprints at scenes… Why not now? Could it be that the culprit is someone close to the police?_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Hey, what's up, Kudou? You haven't said anything for a while…"

Conan was deeply considering an idea. He was thinking about having Inspector Megure closely interrogate each member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but some members were already upset about the random phone calls (they didn't know they were actually from Shinichi) that made them worthless to society.

Heiji waved his hand in front of Conan's face, but his eyes were unfocused and glazed over; something must be bothering him. He sighed and shook his head. "I guess desperate times call for desperate measures…" He then called Ran to the room.

"What's wrong, Heiji-kun?" Ran asked. She looked to Conan and saw him in his natural 'thinking pose.' She laughed a little. "Is he trying to solve the case?"

Heiji shook his head. "I feel like it's something more pressuring than a murder case," he replied slowly, "but I can't get him to respond to me."

Ran grinned. "Oh… so you want _me_ to do all the hard work. Ok!" She clenched her right fist and swung at Conan, inches from his face. He did not budge or even flinch.

Ran's eyes narrowed. "So you want this to be difficult, do you? Alright then…" She removed herself of her feminine etiquette and slapped Conan.

"Ow! That hurt! Why did you slap me, Ran-san?"

Ran shook her head, muttering something that sounded like "detective geek." "You were only spacing out on Heiji," she replied sarcastically. "It was _only_ about twenty minutes."

Conan sighed; when Ran was most upset or worried, she would act sarcastic and _very_ tsundere. "Sorry," he muttered, "I'll go and vent about it to the Professor." He then walked downstairs, looking as if he was never sick.

Ran and Heiji exchanged glances. They both mouthed to each other, "What is with him?"

Conan leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, gasping for breath and sweat pouring down his face. His heart skipped a beat, and he collapsed.

 _Oh no… not now! Don't turn back yet…!_

* * *

 _W-where am I…? I was going to talk to the professor, but why am I… in a bed? Was I too sick to make it there after all?_ He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, his head throbbing and his vision blurred. He noticed that he was back in his home.

 _Wha… I'm home?_ He quickly stood up and went to the closest mirror. He was Shinichi, except a little paler than normal. _Was the whole thing… one long dream? There is one thing to prove it…_ He went to the basket in his closet that had all of his old school uniforms, including his uniform from Teitan Elementary School. Sure enough… it wasn't in there.

He smirked. _I guess it wasn't a dream…_ He sighed and plopped back on his bed. _But… how in the world did I turn back?_ Just then, the doorbell rang. It was Professor Agasa, who had come to check on Shinichi.

"Well, I see you've gone completely back to normal!" He hugged Shinichi and they sat at the kitchen table. "How are you feeling? You don't look so well…"

Shinichi laid his head on the table and closed his eyes. "I feel horrible," he admitted in a whisper. "Actually, I feel the same as before…"

Professor Agasa's eyes narrowed. _Could it be… the illness caused him to turn back?_ He wondered as he closely examined Shinichi. He sure _looked_ the same as before; he was pale, had dark shadows under his eyes, and looked exhausted overall. "Do you want Ran to know you're back to normal?" he asked. "I kinda had to tell Heiji-kun already so he could distract her while I took you here…"

"Did you… want it to seem like a dream to me?" he asked quietly.

Professor Agasa laughed. "No," he replied, "I didn't want Ran or Heiji to see you changing back."

Shinichi groaned and began to sink into sleep. _Why… did I change back? Why am I still sick? How did Ran-san and Hattori react? Why… me…?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"What?! He changed back?"

"Yes. He is currently resting at his home if you wish to see him…" But Ran had already left the room. Professor Agasa sighed. _They sure care for each other..._

Ran pounded on Shinichi's front door. "Answer it, Shinichi!" she screamed. Ten minutes later, the door finally opened.

Shinichi yawned and rolled his eyes, a piece of toast in his mouth. "What do you want so early, Ran-san?" he asked, but she suddenly hugged him.

"I missed you…" she whispered, tears falling onto Shinichi's bare chest.

Shinichi laughed quietly. "Baka," he replied, "you shouldn't worry about me; I am the Great Detective of the East Shinichi Ku…" He suddenly clutched his chest and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

Ran's eyes widened. "Are you okay, Shinichi?" she asked. "Should I help you back to bed…?" Shinichi put up a hand to silence her.

"No," he panted heavily, "I'm fine…" But Ran knew he was lying; he was slowly sinking to the floor and breaking out in a sweat.

Ran sighed. " _You_ are the idiot!" she exclaimed. "You still have the pneumonia, yet you are out of bed!" Ignoring Shinichi's protests, she helped him to his bedroom and into bed.

Ran huffed. "Rest," she ordered, "I will be back in an hour with a doctor." Then, she left.

Shinichi smirked and pulled out the earring cell phone. He quickly dialed Heiji and waited for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Oh, Kudou! Is it true that you're back to normal?"

"Yeah…"

"Hey, what's up? You don't sound too good."

"I need a favor, Hattori…"

"What do you want, Kudou? Just spill it already!"

"Take me to the scene of the last child… I think I have a lead…"

"Hey! Wouldn't Ran and the professor freak out?"

"That's why I need you to do it alone… Don't tell anyone…"

Heiji could tell Shinichi was having trouble staying conscious. "Are you sure you want to with the condition you're in?"

"Yes… take me even if I'm unconscious…" There was a crashing sound, and the call disconnected abruptly. Heiji sighed and shook his head, putting on his coat. _He never gets a break, does he?_

* * *

Two hours later, the deed was done, and Heiji had not been caught. He collapsed in bed and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when there was a sudden pounding on his door.

"What is it?" he mumbled and he opened the door. It was Ran, frantic and in tears. She quickly hugged him as more tears spilled down her face.

"Shinichi… he's gone!" she cried.

Heiji quickly put on a poker face and began playing his act. "What do you mean?" he asked as they sat on his bed. "Can you tell me everything that happened?"

Ran nodded. "When the professor told me what happened, I immediately went to Shinichi's house to see if it was true. Ten minutes later, he opened the door… and he was back to normal. We were chatting for a few minutes when he suddenly collapsed. I tried to tell him to go back to bed, but he said he was fine. I helped him back to bed and went to call a doctor. When he arrived ten minutes ago… he was gone!" She began to cry again and hugged Heiji tightly. "Why… why would he come back to his old self and then disappear? He could be dead for all I know!"

Heiji gently rubbed her on the back. "He's fine," he whispered, "something in my heart tells me that he is fine. Do you think Kudou would give up on you that fast?"

Ran smiled, wiping away tears. "No," she replied. "Um… thank you, Heiji-kun." They embraced and Ran left the room, not noticing Heiji's change of expression. His heart was telling him the opposite; something happened to Shinichi, and it wasn't good.

* * *

"This is Inspector Megure."

"Yes… well, I just found a kid outside of my office. He has a lot of blood around his head, but is breathing."

"Do you know who it is?"

"No, but I've seen him in the newspaper before… with you, Inspector."

"Wait… does he have black hair and blue eyes?"

"I don't know about the eyes, but yes, he has messy black hair."

"Alright… we'll be right over!"

Twenty minutes later, paramedics and Inspector Megure arrived at the building. They realized that the worst could be confirmed: the victim was none other than Shinichi Kudou!

"Quick, make sure he's breathing!" Inspector Megure exclaimed.

A female paramedic checked his pulse. A minute later, she sighed in relief. "He's alive," she said, "but his pulse is a little weak. He has also lost a lot of blood, so we will take him in the hospital for examination."

"In…spector…" a voice whispered. "Don't… tell Ran… only Hattori…" Shinichi's eyes sparkled slightly, showing his concern, before sliding shut again.

Inspector Megure shook his head as the gurney was rolled away. _Kids these days…_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Where are you going, Heiji-kun?"

"Um… well… my father said I had to take care of something for him in Tokyo."

"Alright… be careful!"

Heiji wiped sweat off his face as he climbed into a taxi. _Thank goodness…_ he thought. _I thought she would be more perceptive and realize something happened to Kudou. She sure is like her father…_ He managed to pull himself together by the time he arrived at the hospital. At the front door was Inspector Megure.

"How is he?" Heiji asked.

Inspector Megure sighed. "Last the nurse told me was that he's in critical condition," he replied. "He has severe head trauma, and they think he may be in a coma."

Heiji cringed. "Can we go see him?"

Inspector Megure shrugged. "You can ask if you want to. I have other things to take care of…" With a small wave, he left the hospital. Heiji quickly asked the front desk if he could see Shinichi.

The nurse checked her papers. "Yes, he is currently in room 304." Heiji thanked the nurse and quickly went to Shinichi's room. He looked truly awful with the bandage wrapped on his forehead that was quickly turning red. Heiji noticed that the trash can was full of bloody bandages as well. From what the papers said, Shinichi had a blow to the head from something, most likely a lead pipe, and has head trauma and is in a coma.

A gasp came from behind Heiji. He grinned, not turning his head around. "Come on out, Ran-san," he said, "I know you're here."

Ran slowly walked into the room, her face pale. "How did you know I followed you?" she asked.

Heiji smirked. "I know that you're not the person to stay put when someone you care about is missing," he replied. "Besides, I know you two share a rare blood type, so you would have wanted to see if they needed your blood for him."

Ran stared down at her clenched fists. "Why would someone do this to him?" she asked in a whisper. "Why would they want Shinichi dead?"

Heiji sighed. "He probably saw something he shouldn't have," he said.

Ran's eyes widened. "You know where he was, don't you?" She backed Heiji against a wall, quickly growing mad. "Tell me where he was!"

Heiji hesitated. "He… was investigating…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ran cried. "I've been worried sick about him, and then Professor Agasa calls me, saying Shinichi's in the hospital! Why didn't you stop him from investigating?"

Heiji sighed again. "There was something… about his voice," he replied quietly. "Something in his voice was saying that he was worried about you, as well as the friends he's made as Conan Edogawa. He doesn't want anything to happen to you, so he wanted to finish the case quickly."

Ran shook her head. "He's always been like that…" she whispered. "He hates it when someone worries about him, and yet he worries more than anyone! Also… do you know where he was when he was attacked?"

Heiji nodded. "He was at the scene of the third child killed by a serial killer," he replied. "He said something about 'having a lead.' But apparently, the killer got to him…" Heiji was lying; he wasn't sure if the serial killer was the one that attacked him. If he was, there would be cyanide in his body and a stab wound in the arm. Instead, there was a blow to the head. Either someone else attacked him, or the culprit really did attack him that way to throw off the police.

Ran thought for a moment about something. "I think… I think I will see if he needs my blood," she said as she quietly left the room.

Heiji sat down next to Shinichi, a thought pressuring his mind. _What really happened to you, Kudou? Were you really attacked by a serial killer?_

* * *

Ran's biggest concern was true: Shinichi had lost so much blood that they needed to do a blood transfusion. Since his blood was so rare, they were thankful when Ran came and said they shared blood types. They took her to a room and began drawing blood.

 _Please… let this blood heal Shinichi…_

"You're worried about the boy, aren't you?" the doctor asked with a smile. "It appears you know him quite well."

Ran nodded. "I've known him since we were young," she replied. "He is a high school detective, so he gets into a lot of trouble."

The doctor sighed, saying, "I've noticed that a lot of teenagers have tried becoming detectives and get themselves hurt. It's all because of this rascal right here…"

Ran smiled a little before growing serious again. "Do you know… if he will wake up?"

"I can't be sure," the doctor admitted sadly. "There is only a small chance that he won't wake up by tomorrow afternoon, but we will wait and see. For now, you can stay at my place when I get off work. Is there anyone else with you?"

"There is only Heiji-kun…" she replied quietly.

The doctor gasped. "Ah, I presume that is Heiji Hattori of Osaka, correct? In that case, you both can stay at my apartment! I will get off of work in a couple hours, so would you mind keeping an eye on Shinichi-kun?"

Ran thanked the doctor and returned to Shinichi's room, where Heiji was deeply thinking about something. "What's wrong, Heiji-kun?" she asked.

Heiji jolted out of his seat, surprised. "Hey, Ran-san… I guess I was thinking too much again…" He laughed a little, pretending nothing was wrong. In reality, he had been called by Inspector Megure and told that a fourth child had been murdered on the other side of Japan, showing that Shinichi could not have been attacked by the serial killer.

The fourth child killed was surprisingly someone close to one of the victims: Rika Izumi's infant sister Haruna. For some reason, no one was in the same room as Haruna when she was killed, even though she's an infant. Her mother Naomi said Haruna was taking a nap, but it just didn't make sense to Heiji. _Why would someone leave their infant alone when their elementary child was just murdered?_ Heiji's vision started to blur, and he collapsed back in his chair.

Ran's eyes widened. "Are you okay, Heiji-kun?"

Ran's worried tone sent Heiji out of his thoughts. "Wha… what happened?"

Ran sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You are just like Shinichi…" she muttered. "You were thinking about something when you suddenly collapsed. Are you getting sick as well?"

Heiji laughed. "No," he replied, "it's just that I've been staying up a lot for the past few nights trying to figure something out on this case, but there is no evidence. Even the few things left mysteriously disappear!" He yawned and closed his eyes. "Wake me… in a couple hours…" He slumped against the back of the chair and began to snore softly.

Ran pursed her lips. "That's it," she said, "those two are going on a vacation!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Doctor, look! Shinichi's waking up!"

"See, I told you he would! You shouldn't worry so much!"

"Hey… what's with all the racket?"

"Look! Shinichi's waking up!"

Shinichi's partially-open eyes tried to observe the scene before him. He could see three blurry figures above him, and they were talking about something. The pounding in his head made it difficult for him to hear or see clearly. Eventually, his vision cleared enough so he could see Ran, Heiji, and a doctor.

"How do you feel?" the doctor asked. "Does anything hurt? Are you nauseous or tired?"

Shinichi groaned and carefully sat up with help from Ran. "Tired," Shinichi mumbled, "I feel tired… My head hurts…"

The doctor smiled. "This is all normal after experiencing head trauma. For now, the best thing to do is to take you home to rest for a while. Does that sound okay?"

Shinichi nodded. "As long as I can sleep…" He went limp in Ran's arms and his eyes slid shut. Ran started to panic, but the doctor helped him into a wheelchair and calmed her.

"Take him somewhere he can rest," the doctor said. "If he needs to come back, don't hesitate to call me!"

"So…" Heiji said once he helped Ran and Shinichi into a rental car. "Where are we going, Ran-san?"

Ran thought for a moment. "We're going to the forest," she replied. "Remember the one Professor Agasa purchased for Ai?"

Heiji nodded. "But why are we going there?" he asked. "Can't we stay at the professor's place?"

"No!" Ran exclaimed immediately. "You can't, I… well, have reasons…"

Heiji's eyes narrowed. "Let me guess… you want Shinichi and me to stay away from the serial killings. Am I right?"

Ran nodded, tears stinging in her eyes. "I don't want you two getting hurt!" she cried. "All you two do is get in trouble and injured! Why couldn't you pick a safer hobby?"

Heiji laughed. "We can't just quit being detectives forever, Ran-san," he whispered as he hugged her. "People depend on us; people's _lives_ depend on us. But… if you want us to take a break from it for a little while… we can do that."

* * *

About halfway through the trip, Ran began to notice something odd about Shinichi. He was starting to breathe harder and was sweating profusely. There was also something about his face that looked… child-like.

"Um… Heiji? I think there's something wrong with Shinichi…"

Heiji pulled over and climbed to the back seat. "What's up?"

"Doesn't he look a little… child-like?"

Heiji gasped. "Could he be…?"

Just then, Shinichi screamed and started to toss and turn.

Heiji and Ran both turned pale. "Drive," Heiji said, "I will keep an eye on him. Did you bring his school uniform?"

Ran handed him a bag. "This is everything from his glasses to tie to clothes." She then climbed to the driver seat and started the ignition, trembling immensely.

Half an hour later, the screaming abruptly stopped. Ran pulled over the car again, but Heiji would not let her through.

"Just wait until I help him change!" he said. "For now, get him some water!" Ran did as she was told, and she was finally able to look in the back seat. Her worst fear was confirmed; Shinichi had transformed back into Conan.

Her eyes widened in shock as Heiji gave Conan the bottle of water. "How… did he turn back?" she whispered.

Heiji merely shrugged, helping Conan sit up. "How do you feel, Kudou?" he asked. "That transformation sure looked nasty…"

Conan sighed and leaned against the cool window. "It was nasty," he replied quietly. "All of my body systems shrunk. As for how I feel… well, I don't think I'm very ill anymore, but…" He yawned and closed his eyes. "I am tired…" After a short period of silence, he began to snore.

Ran and Heiji climbed to the front seats, extremely relieved. "At least he's not nauseous anymore," Ran said as she started driving.

Heiji nodded in agreement before remembering something. "Shouldn't we be telling the professor and Ai about this?" he asked.

Ran gasped. "Oh no! They don't even know! I'll call Ai from the earring cell phone, and you can call the professor." They quickly did so. Heiji's call ended quickly with Agasa saying he would come to the house immediately to care for Shinichi, but Ran's call seemed like it would never end.

"You're saying Kudou-kun turned back to normal?"

"Yes, Ai, but…"

"But what?!"

"He just turned back to Conan for some reason…"

"Was there anything odd about him during the whole time?"

"Well, of course there was!"

"Tell me then!"

"I can't, Ai. What if this call was intercepted? Besides, it's a long story…"

"I don't mind long stories."

"You don't get the point, Ai! Just wait for us, okay? We'll be there at the house in a few minutes. Until then, please prepare a bed for him."

"Alright…" The call finally ended after twenty minutes of constant interrogation by Ai.

After another half hour of driving, they arrived at Ai's temporary secluded home, where she was impatiently tapping her foot on the front porch.

Ran repeatedly apologized to Ai as Heiji brought Conan into the house.

Ai rolled her eyes. "Just get in the house… It's supposed to rain soon…" They both went in the house and into Conan's room, where Heiji was starting to wipe his face with a cloth.

"It seems he's already developed a fever again," he said grimly. "I don't think he's gotten over the pneumonia…"

Ai's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'pneumonia?'" she asked. "Are you saying Kudou-kun had _pneumonia_ that magically turned him into a child?"

Heiji sighed. "We don't really know what else to believe now… Anything is possible, really…" In a way, he was right; Ai especially knew that.

Ai thought for a moment. "Well… the only thing I can think of doing is taking a few tests on him to see what exactly caused the pill to reverse itself."

"Good point, Ai-kun!" a voice exclaimed. Professor Agasa then walked in the bedroom, drenched from the start of rain.

"How did you get here so fast?" Ran exclaimed.

Professor Agasa laughed, muttering something about his 'great inventions,' before sitting down with the others. "So… when exactly did he turn back?" he asked.

Heiji sighed. "Well, all I remember was that we were on our way here when he suddenly started screaming. I had Ran drive while I kept a close eye on him."

"That was at 3:20," she whispered. "I had looked at a clock when I went to the driver's seat in case someone would ask about it. So that would have been… about an hour ago."

Ai thought for a moment. "Hmm… was he only screaming incoherently?"

Heiji shook his head. "He was also squirming around," he added. "It looked like he was in tremendous pain."

Ai rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ he was in pain, baka! You think it would be painless to have every part of your body shrunk down to a child's size? It hurts; I would know."

Ran gasped. "Are you saying… you were given the pill too?"

Ai gave Professor Agasa a look, and he quickly explained to Ran that she was the one who _created_ the pill and how she had to take it to save herself from the syndicate.

Ran gave a low whistle. "That sure would stink being shrunk…"

Ai smirked. "Awful," she added, "it is truly awful. But, I guess it isn't so bad when you realize you aren't the only one who was shrunk. When we first started testing the pill, only one rat had shrunk, so there was a small chance that it would happen to Kudou-kun. Luckily for him, the syndicate doesn't know to look for a younger version of Kudou. As for me… they know what I looked like when I was a child, so I have to stay extra careful."

Heiji shook his head. "Why did they want the drug made in the first place, Haibara-han?"

Ai merely shrugged and gave Conan some simple cold medicine. "He should be fine for now," she said. "Give him a few hours to rest. In the meanwhile, I will see what I can remember about the pill."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"APTX 4869… a dangerous pill with unknown side effects… created by Sherry, aka Shiho Miyano…"

This was all Ai could find in the syndicate's database. She clutched her head in frustration. "What now…?" She gasped, remembering something. She rummaged through a box until she found a 3.5 inch floppy disk covered in dry blood. She placed it in her computer and began to search through the information.

"APTX 4869, short for apoptoxin… Main developmental reason: apoptosis. Possible side-effects: deaths in any way, shape, or form. Can be very hard to trace in victims. Extra information: can be used on anyone to kill them." A screen then popped up with a warning saying a password must be entered to continue.

Ai sighed and typed in "Akemi." The screen then changed to her most private information, and another password screen came up. She typed in, "Conan," blushing slightly, and started skimming the information.

"Secret side effects: one rat had shrunk to a baby, and another became ill with the flu. Other than that, they all died. Currently has not been tested on humans (except the ones killed)." She sighed and updated the last sentence to say, "Tried on many humans with one exception." She drummed her fingers on the desk, thinking.

 _Why would Kudou-kun suddenly come down with pneumonia and reverse the pill?_ She kept wondering over and over. _Wait… the pneumonia could have been natural, which means… is there something about the pneumonia bacteria that counteracts with the apoptoxin?_ She quickly went on a secret medical website and ordered a small jar of pneumonia-carrying bacteria.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Are you done?" a voice asked. "Have you found anything useful?"

Ai quickly put away the floppy disk and shut off the computer before returning upstairs, not being able to stop herself from hiding her frustration.

"What's up?" the voice asked. Heiji bent down next to Ai, closely examining her. "Is something wrong? Did you find something bad about Kudou?"

Ai shook her head, trying to mask a cough. "It's just…" She began to have a coughing fit, making her start to cough up blood.

Heiji's eyes widened and he felt Ai's forehead. "Uh-oh… you are getting a fever… Are you getting pneumonia too?"

Ai shook her head again, growing pale. "I think… it's just the flu…"

Heiji sat her down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. "Wait here, okay? I'll go get someone to get some ibuprofen." He smiled and walked away, allowing Ai to drift off into a feverish sleep.

Heiji quickly rushed to Conan's room, where Ran and the professor were still watching him rest.

"What's wrong, Heiji-kun? You look a little pale," Professor Agasa noted.

Heiji looked directly into the professor's eyes. "Ai's sick too, Professor," he replied grimly, "she appears to have the flu. Do we have some ibuprofen to give her?"

Professor Agasa grabbed the bottle and went with Heiji to the living room, where Ai was sleeping fitfully on the couch. He sighed and bent down beside her. "I can tell she found out something about the pill," he whispered. "Something about her expression is just like when Conan leaves for a dangerous case; she is worried about him."

Heiji smirked. "He sure is lucky to have more than one girl worry about him…"

* * *

 _Ai is reading a mystery novel recommended by Conan; she is enjoying it. She looks up and sees a shadow pass by the glass door._

 _She sighed. "I am reading too many murder mysteries…" she whispered, shaking her head. She set down the book and lied down on the couch since it was almost midnight. Once she felt her eyes start to grow heavy, she could hear something coming from the direction of the glass door… something that sounded like pounding._

 _She bolted upright and began to listen closely. She was right; the shadow from before was trying to break in the house. She merely pressed a button on a remote lying on the table next to her and smiled. What the burglar would not realize was that the button was actually meant to trigger the massive alarm system. She closed her eyes and nodded off._

 _The burglar grinned, quietly opening the door. He proudly stepped into the home, a man in solid black. He carefully tiptoed to the back room, where Conan was sound asleep. He picked up the sleeping boy and began to leave the home when he suddenly stepped on a creaky floorboard, waking Ai._

 _"Hmm… what's going on?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. She gasped in recognition as she saw the man in black. "What are you doing here?" she cried. "Why are you taking Edogawa-kun?"_

 _The man in black, otherwise known as Gin, grinned even wider. "I know the secret you've been keeping, Haibara… or should I say Shiho Miyano. I know you took that prototype pill and became a child when you were locked away. I did extra research and found you were the one who changed someone's status after taking the pill. Once I found out your secret, I realized he_ _must be a child as well. Apparently, I was right; this brat here looks just like him."_

 _Ai was horrified. "Don't hurt him!" she cried. "If you want to hurt someone, hurt me instead! Please!"_

 _Gin sighed. "Well, if you insist… I will kill this boy first, and then I'll go after you. Have fun watching him die…"_

 _Ai screamed, quickly waking up from her nightmare._ The first thing she saw was Conan's worried expression.

"Are you alright, Haibara-san?" he asked in a whisper. He was sitting in his wheelchair next to her, looking as ill as ever.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine," she lied. "But you look horrible."

Conan smirked. _Tsundere,_ he thought. "Are you sure you're alright, Haibara-san?" he kept going. "You look like you've seen Death itself."

Ai's eyes narrowed. "Did I scream?" she suddenly asked. "Did I scream at all during my nightmare?"

"Yes," Conan replied smoothly, "you screamed during a lot of it. You were calling out my name, as well as Gin. You're _still_ worried about those men in black?"

Ai sat up, turning paler, and slapped Conan. "Baka!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why wouldn't I be worried about _them_? If they find out, _I_ wouldn't be the only one in danger of my life; you would be too!"

Conan was about to make another smart comment when Ai suddenly kissed him.

"I… care for you, Kudou-kun…"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Please… don't tell anyone!"

Conan was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Don't tell anyone about you…?"

"Don't!" Ai exclaimed. "I… don't want anyone to know…" She blushed a little, staring down at her hands.

Conan grinned. "Oh… I see how you are… You don't want Ran-san jealous, do you?"

She glared at Conan, looking as if she would slap him, but instead sighed and nodded. "I don't want her and me fighting over something this trivial. Besides… the decision should be up to you." She had put Conan right on the spot, gazing into his bright blue eyes. "Who do you choose, me or Ran?"

Conan stammered. "Well, um…" He was shocked and didn't know what to say. "I like both of you… as friends. I've never really thought of you two as any more…"

Ai rolled her eyes, pretending not to care, but Conan knew better. Instead of going further, however, he only asked to be rolled back to bed since he couldn't walk. She complied, and he dozed off immediately.

To her dismay, Professor Agasa was awake when she pushed the wheelchair into his room. "Ah, Ai-kun! How's Shinichi doing? I noticed that he managed to sneak out, so I was growing worried…"

Ai hesitated slightly. "He, um… heard me reacting to a nightmare, so he came to check on me to make sure I was okay."

A laugh came from behind her. "Is that all?" a voice asked. "Your hesitation makes it seem like there was more to the story…" Heiji then walked in the room, grinning.

Ai flushed. "N-no, that's all that happened…" she whispered, helping Professor Agasa place Conan back in bed.

Heiji shrugged, yawning. "I'm too tired to keep interrogating… but I will ask again tomorrow, and you better have an answer!" He then went to bed, leaving Ai and the professor alone in Conan's bedroom.

"How about we talk in the living room?" Professor Agasa suggested. Ai nodded quietly, and they did so. "So… you finally told him, didn't you?" he suddenly asked.

"T-told him what?" She acted confused, but she clearly remembered: there was a night when she was very ill. She had a nightmare similar to the one recently, and she had screamed how she loved Conan.

Professor Agasa smiled serenely. "It's okay, Ai-kun," he whispered. "It's best that you told him instead of keeping it bottled up."

Ai shook her head, tears on the verge of forming. "It was horrible!" she exclaimed. "I told him I cared about him and that he shouldn't tell anyone so Ran won't be jealous… and asked who he liked more. H-he said he only liked us as friends!" She began to break down and hugged the professor. "He doesn't understand me! He probably hates me after that!"

Professor Agasa sighed, patting Ai on the back. "Shh… it's alright," he soothed, "just give Shinichi some time to think it through. It wouldn't be easy to choose from two people you love a lot, now would it? Just get some rest; I think your fever's starting to come back."

It turned out that he was right; Ai started feeling nauseous and was burning up. She curled up on the couch and closed her eyes, feeling a single tear slide down her face.

 _I love you, Shinichi… with all my heart._

* * *

When Conan awoke, he found that he could not move because of his trembling. He smelled coffee coming from the kitchen, showing the professor was already awake. He began to cough, but it quickly became worse when he suddenly vomited.

"Are you alright, Shinichi-kun?" Professor Agasa asked, for he had heard the coughing. He gasped as he saw the state he was in. "You must be getting worse! Wait here while I wake Haibara…"

"Wait," Conan whispered, interrupting the professor. "Did she… say anything about me last night?"

Professor Agasa smiled. "Yes," he replied, "she said that she had admitted her feelings to you, but you didn't know whether to choose her or Ran."

Conan groaned, partly because of the pneumonia and partly because of Ai. Girls were _so_ hard to understand. "Can you… see if Hattori is awake yet?"

Professor Agasa quickly went to Heiji's room and woke him. "Shinichi needs to speak with you," he whispered. "He looks awful too, so try and be careful."

Heiji sighed, rubbing his eyes, as he sat next to Conan's bed. "What do you want, Kudou? It's like… 6 in the morning!"

Conan hesitated. "Well… could you give me some advice on girls?"

Heiji's eyes widened in shock before he burst out laughing. "That's what you wanted from me?" he exclaimed. "You want to get yourself a girl?" He sighed again, calming his laughter. "So… who's the girl?"

"T-that's the problem…" he whispered. "I know that more than one girl likes me, and I don't know which one to choose."

Heiji rolled his eyes. He knew who the girls were, but Conan already looked horrible enough, so he didn't tease him. Instead, he gave his best advice. "I can't decide the girl for you, Kudou," he said. "That decision is up to you. If you want to know how to keep both girls happy… well, I would think as long as you are happy, they are too. Just make the choice that feels right in your heart."

Conan gulped and nodded. He considered many things to do to choose, but he knew Heiji was right. He began to slowly go through the memories he's had with both girls. He knew he had spent a lot of his life with Ran, and he knew he had feelings for her for a long time. As for Ai… he didn't really have much of feelings for a while after meeting her. But, he didn't want to make her upset.

 _Remember Hattori's advice,_ he told himself. _As long as I am happy, they both should be happy._ Then, after another five minutes of thinking, he had finally made a choice.

"I-I know who I choose," he whispered to Heiji.

Heiji smirked. "Well, who is it? Which chick?"

Conan hesitated. "I-I choose Ran-san."

* * *

As Conan predicted, Ai did not take it well when Heiji secretly told her that afternoon while he was resting.

"He said WHAT?" she exclaimed, not trying to hide her shock in the slightest. "He chose HER over ME?!"

Heiji sighed and nodded. "I told him that since you both want him happy, the choice was up to him, and no one would be upset over it."

Ai bit her lip. "Well, I _do_ want him happy, but…" Her voice faltered. "I guess I thought he would choose me…"

"You have to remember, Ai; Kudou and Ran-san have known each other since they were… well, your age…" He snickered a little before quickly becoming serious. "Besides, Ran already confessed her love to him a while back, so…"

"SO?" Ai cried. "I confessed to him last night… I even kissed him! He _still_ chose _her_!" She began to cry and curled up in her blanket, hiding her face.

Heiji patted her on the back and came up with an idea. "Hey… I think you could try something to try and get Kudou to notice you…"

She looked up from under her blanket, sniffing and wiping away tears. "W-what?"

"Well… you could try two things, actually. One: you could take full responsibility of him while he's ill; or two: you could find an antidote to the pill."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Naturally, Ai chose the second choice. Since she didn't tell anyone, everyone but Heiji was confused as to why she started locking herself in the basement. The only time she would come out was when she slept on the couch, and that wasn't often. Most of the time, she slept in the basement in case she came up with an idea in her dreams… even though most of her dreams were nightmares about Conan dying.

How did Heiji know? Since he had given the two choices to Ai, he knew which one she would choose, because Ran was always the one to offer to help Conan when he was ill. Speaking of Conan, he was _not_ getting better. He still couldn't walk and was always tired. Most of the time, he would be sleeping in his wheelchair. After a week of this routine, Ran was getting frustrated.

"You need to eat something, Conan-kun!" she exclaimed, shaking him awake. "You haven't eaten anything for three days!" She handed him a small bowl of soup and made sure he ate every bit of it.

Conan groaned. "Now can I sleep?" he whispered.

Ran smiled and kissed Conan on the forehead. "You can for a little while," she replied, "but later, you are going to try to walk."

Conan completely ignored the last part and went limp. Ran, being as nervous as always, checked his pulse. His pulse… wasn't there.

She screamed. "Someone help! Conan has no pulse!" Heiji quickly rushed toward Conan and performed CPR. A minute later, Heiji put his hand up to Conan's neck.

He sighed in relief. "He's alive," he whispered.

"W-what happened to him?" Ai asked as she approached them. "I heard Ran scream and say Conan's name… Is he okay?"

Heiji nodded. "I think he just had a heart attack," he replied grimly, "but I was luckily able to perform CPR in time. Also Ran, how did you know to check his pulse?"

"I-I always check his pulse when he falls asleep," she said, looking deathly pale. "Since I'm always worried about him, I did today as well." She smiled a little. "I guess we're really lucky…"

Heiji and Ai agreed as they helped Ran place Conan on the couch to rest.

Ai sighed. "Now that he's okay… I'll go back downstairs…" She started to do so when Ran suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.

"Why are you keeping yourself downstairs?" she asked. "Why are you isolating yourself when Conan clearly needs you?"

Ai was shocked. "Let… me… go!" she exclaimed, completely avoiding the question.

Heiji quickly intervened and let Ai rush downstairs. Once she was far enough away, Heiji whispered to Ran the truth.

Ran's jaw dropped. "He said… he likes me?"

Heiji smiled. "I think it's more than that, Ran-han," was all he said before leaving her alone with Conan.

Ran kneeled next to Conan, stroking his hair, and smiled. "So you really do care for me, Shinichi… After all this time, you really do care…"

* * *

When Conan awoke a few hours later, he felt unnatural warmth around him. He opened his eyes and could see a blurry face above him. He used all of his strength to clear his vision and saw that he was lying in Ran's lap on the back deck. He smiled and kissed her lightly on the hand since he could not sit up.

Ran stirred slightly and opened her eyes. She smiled and hugged Conan. "I… love you, Shinichi…" she whispered.

Conan, with tears forming in his eyes, said, "I love you too, Ran." Then, they kissed. Time had stopped for the two of them; they didn't even notice when Ai stepped out on the deck.

She covered her agape mouth in horror and rushed back to the basement, locking the door. She quickly opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a handgun. Tears started falling from her face when she fired the gun at her leg.

Heiji and Professor Agasa, having heard the gunshot, rushed to the door, but found it was locked. They glanced at each other, nodded, and busted the door down. Ai was standing by her desk with a gun in her hand, and there was a pool of blood gathering around her.

"Kudou-kun…" she whispered as she fell to the ground.

"Professor, stop the bleeding! I will get Kudou and Ran-han!" Heiji, with a pale yet determined expression, returned upstairs and found Ran and Conan in a rocking chair on the deck, embracing each other.

"Ran! Kudou!" he exclaimed after opening the door. "Ai was injured severely; we need an ambulance! Kudou, come with me to help stop the bleeding!"

Conan jumped out of Ran's arms, but he found that he could not stand. Even if that was so, he still used all of his strength to get downstairs before finally collapsing next to Ai.

"H-haibara-san… why did you do this?" he whispered, panting, as he put a tight bandage on her wound.

Ai tried to reply, but she only coughed up blood. Conan quickly put a finger to her lips. "No, don't talk. Just focus on staying alive."

Ai nodded. _If you really do still want me alive, I will be here… for you, Kudou-kun._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"What happened to this girl?"

"Well, we heard a gunshot, so we came down here and saw this. I think it was just an accident. She had probably seen it and panicked, accidentally pulling the trigger on her leg." Heiji told the paramedics lies because he felt they wouldn't believe that she shot herself over love… after all, her body _was_ in the form of a child.

"Hey… who's that sleeping boy in the wheelchair?"

Heiji hesitated. "He's been sick for the last few days, so he's been in and out of consciousness." He laughed a little. "I could tell he used everything he had to get down here. Those two are rather close…"

The paramedic's eyes narrowed. "Do you know what this boy has?"

Heiji nodded. "We believe he has pneumonia…" The paramedic's gasp interrupted him. She then picked up Conan's limp self and felt his head.

"He has a high fever, so we will have to take him as well. Can you three come along as well? These kids would probably feel more comfortable with adults they know."

They all agreed and piled into the ambulance, headed for Beika City Hospital.

* * *

 _Conan and Ran were playing one of their favorite games on the floor. Conan was about to win when there was a sudden knock on the door._

 _Ran grinned. "It's probably Heiji," she muttered as she opened the door. She was suddenly grabbed by someone, and a gun was pointed at her head._

 _"Don't make a move to save her, brat," a voice whispered. "If you do anything, I won't hesitate to shoot her."_

 _Conan thought for a moment before he realized he knew who the voice was. "It can't be…" he whispered his thoughts aloud._

 _The voice laughed. "I see you remember me…" The figure then stepped in the room, a man in solid black with long, silver hair, "Tantei-san."_

 _Conan's eyes widened in horror. It was none other than the man who drugged him, Gin. "How… did you find out?" he asked, a slight tremble in his voice._

 _Gin grinned. "It's all thanks to that back-stabber," he replied simply. "A young girl suddenly came to our headquarters and told us everything. She said that she wanted this girl dead for something she did. Something along the lines of 'taking something that was hers…'" He laughed again and shot Ran, sending Conan awake and screaming._

"Are you alright, Edogawa-kun?" a cool female voice asked. Conan opened his eyes and saw it was a doctor. Apparently, he was taken to the hospital as well.

Conan nodded, still gasping for breath. "It was… only a nightmare…" he whispered.

The doctor eyed him with concern. "Do you need someone in here with you?" she suddenly asked. "You look like you need someone to comfort you."

Conan turned even paler as he put his arm over his eyes, concealing tears. "Could you… bring Ran-neechan?" The doctor did so, and Ran quickly came to his room.

"Are you okay, Conan-kun?" she asked. She gasped as she saw tear streaks on Conan's cheeks. "What's wrong?" She quickly hugged him.

Conan quietly moved his arms on top of Ran and let everything out. He sobbed to her about his nightmare and his fears concerning the men in black, including Ai.

Ran was surprised; Conan—or, Shinichi—had _never_ cried before, let alone in front of _her_. "Conan-kun… you shouldn't worry about that; you were the one that just had a heart attack!"

Conan gasped. "I… had a heart attack?" he asked in shock.

Ran nodded grimly. "It was yesterday morning," she began. "You had just fallen asleep again after I forced you to eat soup. I had checked your pulse since I felt something was wrong… but there wasn't one. Luckily, Heiji performed CPR and saved your life."

Conan did not say anything; he only sat there while tears were sliding down his face. Finally, after five minutes, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Ran-san… I shouldn't make you worry…" He began to cry again, this time much worse.

Ran hugged him and started soothing him. "Shh… it's alright, Conan-kun… It wasn't your fault… I'll always be here for you…" Eventually, she was able to ease Conan to sleep. She was sitting on the bed with his head in her lap when Heiji came in to check on them.

"Hey… how's Kudou?" he whispered, noticing Conan asleep.

Ran smiled a bit, stroking Conan's hair. "His fever's starting to go down, and the doctor said he's started to eat again. But…"

"But what, Ran-han?" Heiji asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Ran hesitated. "He… he's been having nightmares, Heiji-kun… about that syndicate that shrunk him, as well as Haibara-san betraying us and returning to them."

Heiji frowned. _Why would Kudou of all people have nightmares about something like that? Could it be… did Ai see him with Ran on the deck? Is that why she shot herself?_ He quickly stood up. "I'm going to Ai's room to see how she's doing. Care to come with?"

Ran looked down at Conan's sleeping face and shook her head. "I'm staying here…" she whispered, showing Heiji that something pressuring was on her mind.

Heiji smirked. "Have fun, lovebirds…" He quietly left the room and went to Ai's, which was close to the emergency room in case they had to do something. The only person that was in there with Ai was Professor Agasa, who was starting to nod off. It _was_ late; almost midnight, to be exact.

"You should go to the hotel and get some sleep, Professor," Heiji said as he walked in the room. "I'll stay here with Haibara."

Professor Agasa thanked Heiji and left the room, slightly off-balanced.

"What do you want, Hattori-kun?" Ai asked, wincing as she sat up. "I can tell you came here to ask me something."

Heiji nodded. "Why did you shoot yourself?" he asked.

Ai gasped before turning her gaze away from him. "I…" She then began to wail. "He was kissing her! _He_ was kissing _her_! He hates me; he wants me dead!"

Heiji hugged her. " _Baka_ ," he whispered, "you think Kudou would want you to do this to yourself? You are only saying that so you have an excuse for your selfishness. You shot yourself because you wanted to be with him, but he wanted someone else. You figured that if he didn't want you, no one would. But he _does_ care for you, Haibara-han! Why else would he use all of his strength to go make sure you were okay? In case you forgot, he just had a heart attack!" Heiji then got up and left the room, leaving Ai to her thoughts.

 _Kudou-kun… really does care about me too? Is that why he was telling me to stay alive? Did he really come all the way on his own just to make sure I was okay? I really am stupid…_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A week and a half later, Ai and Conan were both discharged from the hospital. Ai was perfectly healthy, but Conan was still weak (physically and mentally), so they had to make sure he was well-rested and was given proper therapy and nutrition.

Professor Agasa looked back at Conan and Ai, both asleep in the back seat of the car. "Those two sure cause a lot of trouble, don't they?"

Heiji laughed. "You got that right…" Ran was sitting next to Conan, starting to nod off. "Hey Ran, I thought you said you would keep an eye on him!"

Ran jumped a bit, all traces of sleep gone. "S-sorry…" she whispered. "I haven't gotten much sleep lately…" Just then, her cell phone rang. She answered it and quickly realized it was her father.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Kogoro Mouri exclaimed. "YOU HAVEN'T ANSWERED YOUR PHONE FOR TWO WEEKS! GET BACK HOME NOW AND MAKE ME SOME FOOD!"

Ran sighed. "Conan-kun is still really sick, so I'm taking care of him," she replied coolly. "As for food, that's your fault for making Mom leave. You can go buy some take-out." Hearing her father start to yell again, she hung up the phone and turned it off, placing it in her coat pocket.

Heiji smirked. "Was that the so-called 'Great Detective'?" he asked.

Ran groaned. "Yes, that was my father alright… He can be so embarrassing sometimes."

No one could deny that. They all laughed and continued the drive back to Ai's house, not noticing that Conan was having yet another nightmare.

 _Conan was resting back at Ai's house. Everything was calm; just the way he liked it. Just then, Ai ran into the room with blood all over herself._

 _"What are you doing, Haibara-san?" he asked, slowly sitting up. "Why… is there blood all over you?"_

 _She grinned maliciously. "I killed someone…" she sang. "I killed someone…"_

 _Conan was horrified. "You… killed someone?" he exclaimed._

 _She laughed quietly. "I killed Ran-san…" she whispered. "And now, I will kill you… for not noticing me and choosing her!" She stabbed Conan in the heart, sending him awake and gasping for breath._

"Are you alright?" Ran asked worriedly. "Did you have another nightmare?" They were still on the road and had approximately two hours left.

Conan wiped the sweat off of his forehead and, with Ran's help, sat up. Everyone was eyeing him with concern except Ai, who was still asleep. He wanted to tell them about his nightmare, but he felt uncomfortable with Ai literally right next to him. "Yeah… but it was only a dream…" he whispered, feeling weak.

Ran immediately noticed his weakness and felt his forehead. "It's back!" she exclaimed. "Your fever's back already!"

Conan had already noticed this since he was burning up and nauseous. He tried to control it, but he eventually began to retch and blood came up. He fell back in his seat and quickly lost consciousness.

Ran gasped. "Heiji, get the medicine and wet cloth… quickly!" Heiji rummaged through the bag the doctor had given them in case of emergencies and gave what Ran needed to her. She gave Conan the pill before placing his head on her lap and the cloth on his forehead. Her eyes started to grow heavy again, and she too fell asleep.

Heiji smiled and placed a blanket over the two of them. "Those two sure are lucky to have each other…" He pretended to be nonchalant, but his biggest concern was the murder case they had taken a break from for over a month. From what his father told him, there have been a total of six girls killed!

 _How are these girls related? How are their fathers related besides owning big companies? Could they have all known each other at one point? Also… will Kudou be able to recover and help me solve this case?_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Heiji sat up, sweating and gasping for breath. _That's it,_ he thought, _I'm done trying to sleep! All I do is have nightmares every night!_ He grabbed his phone and dialed his father's number.

"What do you want, Heiji? It's three in the morning!"

"Can you… tell me anything about the serial killings, Dad?"

"I already told you! If you want to find out anything, come back here! We can't afford anything being intercepted!"

"A-alright… 'Night, Dad." Heiji hung up the phone and threw it across the room in anger. He felt something wet slide down his face as he curled up in his blanket.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Are you okay, Heiji-kun?" Ran asked through the door. "I heard you screaming and a thump…"

"You can come in," Heiji whispered. Ran opened the door and sat next to him, moving the blanket from his face. She gasped when she saw the tears.

"What's wrong, Heiji-kun?" she inquired with concern.

Heiji sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I am letting people be killed…" he sobbed quietly. "I have let six young girls' deaths be in vain." Then, without trying to, his eyes slid shut after finally feeling comforted as Ran rubbed his back and whispered to him soothingly.

Ran sighed in relief. "Now, I can go worry about the other detective." She smiled a little and returned to Conan's room, where he was sleeping soundly. She curled up next to him and closed her eyes.

 _What are these two supposed to do? Heiji wants to solve the serial killings, but I know he can't do it without Shinichi's help! Should we…? No. He is sick, so that is out of the question. Well, I could have Ai-chan and the Detective Boys give him the information while he stays here… but will he be able to solve it in the state he's in?_

* * *

That morning, Ran called the parents of Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko, asking if they would allow their kids to see Conan over the weekend. They all agreed, so Professor Agasa left to pick them up in Beika City. In the meanwhile, Ai was still in the basement, and Heiji was alone in his room. Ran and Conan were in the living room for therapy.

"Ready, Conan-kun?" She put out her arms, and Conan shakily stood up. He could stand a lot easier than before, but when he tried to walk, he immediately collapsed.

"This is embarrassing…" he whispered as Ran helped him back to his wheelchair. "I'm the Great Detective of the East, yet I can't even walk!"

Ran smiled and kissed him. "You can't help it that you're sick," she laughed. "Come on; let's go check on Heiji-kun since he hasn't left his room all day." She pushed Conan's wheelchair to Heiji's room and opened the door. He was lying in bed, coughing profusely. There was also a trash can next to the bed, showing he had been throwing up.

Conan gasped as his eyes widened. "H-hattori! You got sick too?"

Heiji laughed. "Yeah…" he whispered. "I haven't slept much for a while, and I guess…" He coughed and vomited. "It… took a toll on me…"

Conan pushed his wheelchair to Heiji's bedside and felt his forehead. He had a fever, showing he most likely caught the flu. Conan sighed. "Why haven't you been sleeping, Hattori?" he suddenly asked. "Was it just simple anxiety?"

Heiji shook his head. "There are two reasons…" he replied quietly. "One: I've been worried about you and Haibara, and two… well, I've been worried about that serial murderer that we've been ignoring for a while… From the little my dad told me, I can deduce six girls have already been killed…" He coughed and shakily sat up. "I wanted to return to Osaka to get the rest of the information, but I have a feeling that tells me that I need you to help solve it… and I don't think you're in the right state of mind to go solving murder cases…"

Conan started to protest and stood up, but he suddenly clutched at his chest and collapsed back in his wheelchair. He laughed softly. "I guess you're right…" he said. "Neither of us can do anything…" He pounded his wheelchair in frustration. "We are killing people, Hattori…"

Heiji sighed. "I know that already, Kudou," he replied as Ran pushed Conan out of the room so they both could rest.

"What was that about?" Ran inquired as she helped Conan to bed. "How could you and Heiji-kun be _killing_ people?"

Conan smirked. "That is how we detectives feel when we can't do anything about a murder, especially a serial murder…" He suddenly put his hands to his head and gasped in pain. "Not again…" he groaned.

Ran immediately sat down next to Conan and helped calm his sudden screaming, even though she didn't know how or why it happened. After ten solid minutes of screaming, Conan suddenly went limp in Ran's arms.

Ran gasped. _Could it be… was that from the pneumonia too?_

"No, I don't think that was from an illness," Ai said from the doorway. She quietly limped in the room and sat on the opposite side of Conan, away from Ran. "Remember when you told me about him being attacked by someone? He probably developed a concussion and was never treated for it."

Ran gasped again. "Is that why he can't walk and always insists on the room being dark?" She knew it was strange that pneumonia might cause symptoms like these, but she never thought to think that it could've been from his concussion.

Ai nodded. "Those are common symptoms for a concussion. Most symptoms for concussions include nausea, vomiting, confusion, disorientation, poor balance, sensitivity to light, sudden blackouts, irritability, depression, and headaches. I've noticed that he's had just about all of these symptoms; easily saying he's still suffering from a concussion. For the next few days, we just need to let him rest here and make sure he doesn't work himself too much."

Ran gulped and agreed. Ai then handed Ran a small bottle. "When he wakes, be sure to give him this; it will speed up his healing."

For the next three days, Ran and Professor Agasa were keeping constant watch on Conan and Heiji while Ai was doing her own thing in the basement. The members of the Detective Boys wanted to go there, but Professor Agasa said they had to wait a little longer since he could get them sick, so they waited in a nearby hotel. Heiji seemed to be getting better, but Conan had only woken once during the whole period. However, no one knew Ai came up every night to see Conan, or that she gave him a special sleeping powder.

She quietly blew the powder in his face, making sure he inhaled it. "Pleasant dreams, Kudou-kun…" She started tiptoeing out of the room, but someone was blocking the doorway. She gasped and backed up slightly.

A quiet laugh came from the shadows. "So you do care about him, don't you?" Professor Agasa then walked in the room. "I've noticed that you leave the basement wide open for about ten minutes each night before coming to sleep on the couch. Is that all you've developed so far?"

Ai shook her head. "I think I may have developed a prototype antidote, but…" Her voice faltered. "I tested it on myself this afternoon and…" She coughed up an impressive amount of blood and collapsed. "It didn't work for very long…"

Professor Agasa sighed, a concerned expression on his face. "How about you stop worrying about that and worry about Conan and Heiji's health?" He picked her up and carried her back to the couch, a small portion of the powder in his hand. He blew it in her face, and she quickly fell asleep with only one thought on her mind:

 _Should I just give up and be happy that he has Ran, or should I try to get him to love me?_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Early the next morning, Professor Agasa brought the members of the Detective Boys over. They were quite surprised to find that not only Conan was sick, but Ai and Heiji too!

"Whaat?" they exclaimed. "Ai-chan and Heiji-niichan are sick too?"

Professor Agasa put a finger to his lips. "Shh… you don't want to wake them," he whispered. "Come with me; Conan's room is this way." They all tiptoed to Conan's room, where he was sleeping soundly, thanks to Ai's powder. Ayumi immediately tried to go hug him, but Genta and Mitsuhiko managed to hold her back.

"You can't wake him up!" Mitsuhiko whispered as loud as he dared.

Ayumi, blushing slightly, nodded and looked downward. "Sorry…"

Professor Agasa checked his watch. "Actually…" he interrupted quietly. "It's about time for him to have his therapy. I'll go wake Ran-san, and you can wake Conan." He laughed as all three practically jumped on top of him, startling him awake.

"Wha… what are you three doing here?" he asked with one hand at his head as he slowly sat up. "And what time is it?" He looked at his watch and saw it was 6:30 AM. He sighed and, with the help of the Detective Boys, got in his wheelchair. All three pushed him to the living room, where Ran was waiting for them.

"Good morning, you three," she yawned. "You're here pretty early."

"Actually, we've been up since 5:00!" Ayumi said, bouncing happily. "Professor Agasa called our hotel room and said we were gonna see Conan today, so we were all super excited!"

Ran smiled. "That sure is like the professor…" she muttered before moving in front of Conan. "Alright, Conan-kun… you ready?"

Conan gulped and nodded, shakily standing up. He was able to walk a record five feet before collapsing into Ran's arms.

Ayumi noticed Conan's struggle, and her smile turned to a frown. "Why can't you walk, Conan-kun?" she asked.

Conan hesitated slightly. "Well… since I've been sick, I haven't walked much, so I'm not really strong enough," he lied. He felt it was best that they did not know about the attack. He was quickly reminded of what really happened at that office building; of how he had seen a man making a deal for four billion yen. When he saw the man, it was none other than Gin. He tried to stop him, but the next thing he knew, he was in a gurney being taken away to a hospital for head trauma. He shuddered at the thought of it.

"Are you alright, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, sending him out of his thoughts. "Are you sure you want to continue therapy?"

"Well… we could do some mental therapy…" he replied quietly, feeling his eyes start to grow heavy. He slumped to one side and began to snore.

Ran looked at her watch, noting how long he was awake, and pushed the wheelchair back to his room.

"Will Conan-kun be okay?" they asked with concern.

Ran smiled. "He will be fine," she replied, "it's just that he can't stay awake for a long time since he's really sick. After a bit of rest, he will probably want to eat something. Do you guys want to help me with breakfast?"

The three pumped their fists in the air, cheering, and marched to the kitchen. What they didn't realize was that they woke Ai, who had been moved to the basement by Professor Agasa since he knew she would be mad if woken up. He had known her correctly; she was furious. She threw off her blankets in anger, but found she had such bad body ache that she couldn't stand. Instead of trying to walk like Conan would do, she yelled, "Ran-san! Get down here immediately!"

Ran smirked and went downstairs; letting the three kids get out the ingredients for breakfast. "What's up, Ai-chan?" she asked coolly.

She huffed. "Those little brats woke me," she complained. "Could you tell them to be quiet? Some people are trying to sleep here; not everyone sleeps well at night!"

Ran smiled and patted Ai on the head. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Ai gasped. "H-how did you know?"

"It was rather easy," she explained. "I was told by Heiji about Conan having feelings for both of us, as well as you kissing him. I also knew because the professor told me one day that you had thanked Conan for saving your life in… a rather tsundere manner." She laughed. "Besides, you can just tell when someone's worried about someone they love." She was right; Ai noticed that Ran bore a similar expression deep within her.

Ai sighed. "Whatever," she whispered, "just help me upstairs; I can't walk because of my body ache." Ran lifted up Ai, and they both returned upstairs.

Ai glared at the three kids. "Thanks for waking me…" she mumbled angrily.

They laughed a bit and apologized, saying they were just _so_ excited.

"Also… what's wrong, Haibara-san? Why is Ran carrying you?" Ayumi asked.

Ran set Ai in a chair and whispered to the kids that Ai's body ache wouldn't let her walk.

The three kids gasped and gathered around Ai. "You're sick too?!" they exclaimed. "Are you going to be okay?"

Ai rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she lied, "it's just the flu…" But she wasn't fine; she started to cough, making her white face mask turn red.

Mitsuhiko gasped. "Is that… blood?" he asked in a whisper. "You're not fine, Haibara-san! You should be resting!"

Ai smirked. "In case you've forgotten, _you_ three were the ones that woke me in the first place…"

Mitsuhiko looked down at the floor. "We're really sorry…" he said, looking very sad. "Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?" He looked to Ai, who had slumped forward on the table and passed out. All three kids started to panic, but Ran reassured them by getting the professor to get her medicine.

"She'll be fine," Professor Agasa told the kids, "she just needs some medicine and rest." He and Ran carried Ai to the couch and had the kids watch over her while they checked on Heiji and Conan.

Ran knocked on Heiji's door. "Can I come in, Heiji-kun?" She listened closely and heard something that sounded like… crying. She quickly opened the door and found Heiji was on the phone and indeed crying. He then ended the call and plopped on his bed, trying to dry the tears.

"W-what happened, Heiji-kun?" she asked.

Heiji tightly held her hand and tears started flowing again. "I just got a call from the Osaka police department… my father was kidnapped!"

* * *

To be precise, Heiji's father was kidnapped by the serial killer. Apparently, the killer found out that Heiji's father was very close to finding his identity, so he kidnapped him in order for him to keep quiet. Even if Heiji was no longer sick, he was too depressed and had anxiety attacks numerous times. The kids wanted to see him, but Ran was worried it would set off an anxiety attack when he saw them. Eventually, after constant begging, she returned to his room to ask him.

"Heiji? Is everything alright?" She opened the door and found he was still crying. She sat next to him and patted him on the back. "It will be okay," she whispered, "your father is smart enough to get himself out of this. You know that it would make things worse for him if you tried to intervene; just let him take care of it."

Heiji stared down at his clenched fists and slowly nodded. Even if he wanted to go and save his father, he didn't want something to happen to anyone while he was gone.

"Also…" Ran continued, "Do you think Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko could see you? They think you're still sick, so they are begging me to let them here."

Heiji smiled a little and wiped away the tears. "Sure," he replied. "It would make me feel better having those guys around. Also, could you see if Kudou wants to come as well?"

Ran nodded and left the room. Right outside the door was the three kids with wide eyes. She laughed and fully opened the door, gesturing for them to enter. They quickly do so and begin to interrogate Heiji to make sure he is okay while Ran quietly closes the door and heads to Conan's room. He was still sleeping and hugging something Ran had not seen in many years: his old stuffed bear in a Night Baron costume.

She smiled. "How could he have gotten that?" she wondered aloud.

"I gave it to him," a voice said. Ran whirled around and saw Professor Agasa behind her. "I found it in the basement last night and gave it to him. He said that his parents told him they accidentally threw it out, but his deduction was that they hid it somewhere so he wouldn't be so attached to it." He laughed. "He was very attached to this, wasn't he?"

Ran nodded in agreement. "Do you think I could roll the wheelchair to Heiji's room? He wants to talk with him about something." Professor Agasa let her, so she carefully maneuvered it to Heiji's room, where they were all rather surprised to see Conan with the bear.

"How come he gets a bear?" Ayumi asked, slightly jealous. "I want one too!"

Ran smiled. "This was Shinichi's old bear that we found here," she replied, noticing Heiji trying to contain his laughter. "Professor Agasa gave it to him and said it would make him feel better since it helped Shinichi when he had nightmares." What no one except Heiji noticed was that Conan was starting to slowly wake up.

He opened his eyes and yawned. "How long was I out?" he mumbled sleepily. His vision focused, and he saw Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko staring at something in his lap. He looked down and saw his old bear, making his face flush in embarrassment. He saw Heiji was still in bed, struggling to contain his laughter; a single glare made him not laugh (as much).

Ran patted Conan on the head, smiling. "You were only asleep for a couple hours," she whispered in his ear. "Also… why do you have that bear?"

Conan sighed. "Professor Agasa found it and gave it to me while I was still half-asleep," he replied quietly. "By the way… why am I in Heiji's room?"

"Oh yes!" Ran clapped her hands, remembering something. "Heiji said he wanted to talk to you. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko can come with me and finish cooking breakfast." She then led the three over-excited kids out of the room, leaving Conan alone with Heiji.

"What's up, Hattori?" he asked, setting the bear next to the wheelchair.

Heiji sighed greatly, uncovering his mask that was hiding his tears. "My dad…" he whispered, "was kidnapped by the serial killer."

Conan gasped. "He was WHAT?" he exclaimed. "Your dad, one of the best cops, was KIDNAPPED?"

Heiji nodded sadly. "I got a phone call from the department this morning saying they found a ransom note from the kidnapper. The kidnapper wants ten billion yen by midnight tonight or he will kill my father."

Conan was confused. "Why would the serial killer want to kidnap your father?" he asked.

"It's only a hypothesis, but I think he was close to finding the identity of the serial killer," he replied quietly. "Since he hasn't told anyone of his research, the killer thought of it as his perfect chance…"

Conan could tell that Heiji wanted to save his dad, but he knew most likely both would be killed in the process. "All we can do is hope that he can escape," he whispered, "since the killer would most likely take the money and then kill him."

Heiji nodded in agreement, staring down at the floor, and started to silently cry again. Conan pushed his wheelchair next to Heiji and patted him on the back. "Your dad is smart, Hattori," he said. "He can get himself out of something like this." He coughed into his hands, looked closely, and grimaced before wiping his hands on his pants.

Heiji's eyes widened. "That was blood, wasn't it?"

Conan was about to reply when he suddenly turned as pale as paper, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell forward into Heiji's lap.

Heiji laid Conan down in his bed and nodded, solving the argument within himself. _First, I need to worry about Kudou and Ai. After that, I will see what I can do about my dad. For all I know, he could have been kidnapped to draw me out of hiding!_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

When Ayumi entered Heiji's room to call him and Conan to breakfast, she was surprised to find them both asleep. She carefully closed the door before yelling, quickly waking both.

"It's time to eat!" she said happily as she skipped out of the room.

"Oi, Kudou… you gonna eat anything?" Heiji stood up, having dozed off on the floor, and saw Conan struggling to stay conscious. He laughed and rumpled Conan's hair. "Just stay here; I'll go tell the others you're too tired to eat."

"Where's Conan-kun?" Ayumi quickly asked when Heiji entered the kitchen.

"He's too tired right now, Ayumi-chan." He glanced at Ran, who rushed to his room to keep an eye on Conan. "He said he wanted to eat, but his eyes were just too heavy."

Ayumi looked down. "Poor Conan-kun… I wish we could make him feel all better!"

Conan, having heard this in his subconscious state of mind, asked Ran to push the wheelchair in the kitchen. She protested, saying he would just fall asleep right away, but Conan knew that already.

"I hate making people worry…" he whispered as he slumped to one side and began snoring again. Ran sighed and placed him in the wheelchair, maneuvering it to the kitchen.

"Conan-kun said he wanted to make you guys feel better, Ayumi-chan, so he asked me to bring him here to stay with you." Ran smiled and began serving everyone's food.

"Hey… what did he really say?" Heiji whispered to Ran as she began serving his food.

"He said that he hates making people worry," she responded quietly.

Heiji smiled. "That sure is Kudou…"

Just then, Ai emerged from the basement, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "What… time is it?" she asked sleepily.

Ran laughed. "It's only 8:00," she replied. "Do you want something to eat…?" For some reason, Ai began examining Conan. After feeling his forehead, she gasped and backed away, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"What's wrong, Ai-chan?" Ran asked, crouching beside her. "Is there something wrong with Conan-kun?"

"He's… turning back…" she whispered shakily.

Ran gasped. "Okay… Heiji and I can keep an eye on him in the bedroom while you distract these three," she replied quietly before standing up. "Okay kids! Ai said Conan-kun has a fever again, so Heiji and I are going to give him some medicine and take him to his room so you don't get sick." She glanced at Heiji, and they quickly rushed Conan to his room.

"What's up, Ran-han?" Heiji asked after closing the door. "What did Ai find out?"

Ran gulped. "He's turning back, Heiji!"

Heiji's mouth flew open in shock. "What?!" he exclaimed. "What are we supposed to do? If we're not careful, the kids will find out!"

Conan's screaming soon interrupted both of them. Heiji quickly locked the door, and Ran closed the curtains; no one could see something like this.

* * *

After half an hour of pure torture, Conan had returned to Shinichi. However, he had not yet regained consciousness; he only laid there in a pool of sweat and mumbled during his hallucinations.

"Shouldn't we try and wake him?" Ran asked shakily, still shocked about the transformation. "I hate to leave him like this…"

Heiji thought for a moment. "We could try and wake him…" Ran immediately began to shake Shinichi and eventually woke him.

"Wha… what's wrong, Ran…?" He gasped and felt at his throat. "I… turned back?" He acted surprised, but he had known all morning that it would come.

"Oi, Kudou!" Heiji interrupted his thoughts. "I have a question for you that you may know the answer to: what happened on the day you were attacked?"

Shinichi's eyes widened, and he slowly looked down, turning paler than he already was. He stuttered slightly before placing his head on his knees, concealing his expression. "It was one of them," he whispered. "I saw a secret trade worth four billion yen. When the guy turned around, I saw…" His voice faltered as he coughed. "It was the guy that drugged me. I tried to stop him, but he panicked when he saw me and…" Shinichi put a hand to his head and winced. "I think he hit me with a metal pipe of some sort…"

Ran noticed Shinichi struggling to stay conscious. She immediately lied him back down and told him to rest. He began to protest, reminding them of Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko, but she said she and Heiji would take care of it. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"How are we supposed to keep _this_ a secret?" Heiji gestured to the sleeping Shinichi.

Ran's eyes lit up. "I got it!" she exclaimed. "How about we keep the professor in here while we stay with the kids and keep them occupied?"

"There is no need for that," a voice quietly interrupted. Ai then walked in the room, looking more tired than normal. "I told them to go to the basement, where I gave them some of my sleeping powder. It lasts for about eight hours, so we should be fine for now…" She yawned and started to sway.

Heiji chuckled. "Did you inhale some of it too?" he asked. "Come on; you can go rest in the living room while Ran and I keep an eye on this troublemaker." He ushered Ai out of the room, leaving Ran alone with Shinichi.

 _It should feel nice to have you back… but for some reason, I feel uneasy._ She instinctively turned around, but no one was there. She sighed. _I guess you're right… I worry too much…_

* * *

When Heiji returned to Shinichi's bedroom a few minutes later, he found Ran with an expression of deep concern. "What's up?" he asked, sending her out of her thoughts.

She gasped slightly in surprise. "I… well…" She sighed as she built her courage. "I… feel we're being watched, Heiji. Something just doesn't feel right…"

Heiji frowned. "You're right…" he whispered. "Something's not right…" What they didn't realize was that their sense of uneasiness was coming from three sources outside the room.

"Boo!" Ai whispered in the three sets of ears, startling all of them.

"W-what are you doing, Ai-chan?" Ayumi asked shakily. "You didn't have to scare us like that!"

Ai smirked. "What are _you_ doing next to Edogawa-kun's bedroom?" she replied simply.

None of the three children replied. They all looked down at their feet with guilty expressions. Just then, Heiji partly opened the door and was quite surprised to find all the children outside.

"What are you guys doing here?" he whispered. "He's trying to sleep in here, so you should leave him be." He shooed away Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko while hiding Ai behind him. He then let Ai in the room to examine Shinichi, locking the door behind him.

"Hmm…" Ai sighed. "It appears he completely transformed back to his original state, but he seems to be having hallucinations." She pointed to his eyes that were rapidly moving under the eyelids, the large amount of sweat, and his slightly agape mouth. She put a thermometer in his mouth, and it quickly shot up to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Her eyes widened and she quickly began to search through the bag until she found the medicine. She read every inch of ingredients, warnings, and such like that before giving him a pill.

"This might reduce his fever," she said, "but I can't be one-hundred percent sure it will. If it doesn't, he will most likely shrink back to his child form so his body won't have to work as much."

Ran gasped. "Isn't there anything else we can do to help him?"

Ai shook her head. "All we can do is wait."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

To their dismay, Shinichi only stayed in his original form for a few hours before turning back into Conan once again. Even worse, he had not yet regained consciousness.

Ai was perplexed. "I don't understand why he changes for a bit, and then goes back to being a kid…" she whispered. "I can't get an answer until the package comes in…"

"What package, Haibara?" Heiji interrupted.

Ai gasped, realizing she voiced her thoughts. "Well…" she replied slowly. "I ordered some pneumonia-carrying bacteria so I can run some tests and see what exactly it does to the apoptoxin…"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Can we see Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked. "We heard him screaming, so we're all really worried!"

Ran laughed and opened the door. "Please be careful around him; he's still really sick." The three kids somberly gathered around Conan and whispered miscellaneous apologies for everything they had ever done. They were so absorbed with their apologies that they didn't see Conan waking up.

"What… are you guys doing?" he asked in a whisper.

Ayumi gasped and hugged Conan, causing tremendous pain. "You're okay! I was so worried about you, Conan-kun; I thought you died!"

Conan sat up, ignoring all of the pain, and forced a smile. "It's gonna take more than this to kill me…" Ayumi felt happier after hearing that, but Ran and Heiji could tell that the illness was indeed killing him.

"Ran-neechan," Ai interrupted, "I found some kind of medicine in the basement. Could we see if it will help him?"

Ran smiled and let her, knowing that the medicine was in fact made by her. She quickly handed the bottle to Ran, who read all the warnings and uses.

 _Used to reduce high fevers, hallucinations, body ache, etc. Be sure to take ONLY one pill for every 24 hour period. If overdosed, death can occur, as well as kidney and/or liver infection. NOTE: This medicine will most likely cause drowsiness immediately upon ingestion._

Ran thanked Ai and gave Conan a pill, not noticing the last part that said _Warning! This pill puts the user to sleep until completely healed or mostly healed_. "Take it," she whispered. "Ai-chan made it just for you." Conan swallowed the pill and was washed over by a sudden sense of lethargy.

 _I hope I'm right to trust you, Haibara…_

* * *

"Thank goodness! His fever is finally going down!"

"It's all thanks to Haibara's pill. We're lucky she's here with us."

Conan could faintly hear voices in the distance, far away from his subconscious state of mind. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Heiji and Ran beside him, talking. Heiji was the first to notice he woke. He immediately put a finger to his lips and whispered, "Don't try and talk yet. You still look awful." Conan smirked and mouthed "OK."

Ran quickly hugged him. "You're okay!" she said, relieved. "You're going to be okay!"

Conan laughed. _You knew I would be fine,_ he thought.

Just then, Professor Agasa walked in the room and noticed Conan awake. "Ah, Shinichi!" he exclaimed. "You're finally awake! We were all getting worried since you were asleep for four days… Ai-kun said the pill was supposed to do that, but this young lady over here would rarely leave your bedside! Those three kids didn't want to leave either, but they had to go back to school yesterday."

For some reason, Conan felt uneasy about Professor Agasa. _It's most likely because he likes teasing about me and Ran,_ he said to himself, smirking.

"Oh yes!" Ran interrupted. "Heiji, can you go wake Ai for me and tell her she needs to eat something?"

Heiji nodded and went downstairs. On the way to Ai's bed, he noticed the closet door was slightly ajar. He opened it and found an unconscious Professor Agasa.

Heiji's eyes widened. _Wha… how is he here and there?_ He merely shrugged and shook his head, continuing his job to wake Ai. She was once again at her computer desk, but this time had something still open. From the looks of it, it was a love letter addressed to Shinichi. Heiji quickly read it, grinning, before closing out of it and waking Ai.

"Come on, Haibara," he said as he shook her. "You need to get up and eat something; Ran's starting to get worried."

Ai moaned sleepily and opened her eyes. "Is he awake?" was the first thing she asked.

Heiji laughed. "Yes," he replied. Ai quickly stood up and rushed upstairs. Heiji returned to Conan's room as well, where, surprisingly, only Conan was there.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

Conan pointed away from his room. "Kitchen," he croaked. Apparently, he had not yet recovered his voice.

"Um… can I talk to you for a second, Kudou? Have you noticed anything strange about Professor Agasa?" Heiji looked to Conan, whose expression had grown to that of deep thought; he noticed he wasn't the only one thinking that. "Also…" he added quietly. "I saw Professor Agasa unconscious downstairs in the closet."

Conan gasped, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "No…" he whispered. "It can't be!"

"Can't be what, _Meitantei_?" Professor Agasa asked, grinning. "Did you find out something?"

Conan glared at Professor Agasa. "Why are you here… Phantom Thief?"

Professor Agasa laughed. "I guess I can't hide it any longer from you _detectives_." He threw something on the ground, filling the air in Conan's bedroom with smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Professor Agasa was revealed to be Kaito Kid.

"It's been a while… _Tantei-san_." Kaito Kid laughed again. "But I would prefer if you call me by my proper name."

Conan rolled his eyes. "Alright… Kaito Kuroba."

Kaito smirked. "My my…how _did_ you figure out my name?" he asked.

Conan sighed. "It's easy with your name _kinda_ being Kaito," he replied quietly, conserving his voice. "Besides, a girl named Aoko, a friend of this Kaito Kuroba, was thoroughly questioned about his connection with Kaito Kid. From there, it was easy."

Kaito laughed quietly. "Indeed, it is easy work for a detective like you." He noticed Heiji's confused expression and laughed again. "I see you don't know me. I am Kaito Kid, otherwise known as Kaito 1412 or Phantom Thief Kid. I steal jewels from all over Japan, and no one besides you two knows of my true identity."

Heiji gasped. He recognized the name from some of his dad's secret files that were almost always locked away. "You're… Kaito?"

Kaito bowed proudly. "I would normally be searching for jewels to snatch, but today I am going to help the _Chiisana Tantei-san_." He smirked and rumpled Conan's hair. "I was wondering why a murder near the two of you has still gone unsolved for a month, so, with secret information, I found that you two were here while he was ill." He sighed and flopped into a chair. "It can be so exhausting sometimes…"

Conan smirked. "You came all this way just to help _me_?" he asked.

Kaito pretended to look surprised. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "After all, it _can_ be hard snatching jewels with the police on high alert."

"Ohh," Conan sighed. " _That's_ why… So Kaito, what is it that you have to tell me?"

Kaito grinned mischievously. "I will give the two of you a riddle," he said, clearing his throat. "But isn't it strange how similar these cases are to puzzles? You have to have every single piece to complete it and see the final result; some pieces may be lost and forgotten about but found much later in the future, reminding people of the past. Also, puzzles can only be completed by those that are capable; similar to detectives with cases." He laughed as he opened the window. "Good luck, detectives!" He waved and jumped out the window, which was facing a cliff. Heiji panicked and looked out, but Kaito had his usual hang-glider.

"Hey, Kudou… did you get anything he said?" Heiji looked back at Conan, who was deep in thought. He laughed to himself. _I guess he's stumped too…_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

 _Pieces of puzzles… forgotten over long periods of time… can only be solved by detectives…_ Conan clutched his head in frustration. _I just don't get it! I know someone like Kaito is cryptic, but he was too cryptic! Wait… cryptic? I think I got something! _He looked toward Heiji, who bore a similar expression of resolve.

"That's it!" they both exclaimed. "They must have known each other in the past!"

"Wait…" Conan interjected. "The victims were so young that they couldn't have…"

Heiji sighed. "Well… what about the fathers?" he asked. "All of their fathers are owners of large companies and each has at least one elementary child. My guess is that they went to the same school when they were kids. How about we both go and see if they recognize the names?"

Conan agreed, and Heiji placed him in his wheelchair. They pushed the wheelchair to the front door, where Ran was blocking the way.

"Where are you two going?" she inquired. "More importantly, why are _you_ leaving the house, Conan-kun? You are still sick!"

Conan coughed a little. "I'm fine, Ran-san," he whispered, actually feeling drowsy from thinking so much. "Besides, I doubt Hattori will let me leave this wheelchair…"

Heiji grinned. "He's right, Ran," he added. "Plus, in case you forgot, we are both detectives; we can't just quit a case. We think we have a lead and are going now to check it."

Ran's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you can't!" she exclaimed. "You'll get hurt!" She was then interrupted when Conan stood up and hugged her.

"We won't get hurt," he said quietly in her ear. "We have each other's back in this. Plus, we are only going to check a lead; it's not like we know who the killer is yet!"

Ran closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright," she said hesitantly, "you can go. But make sure you're back by dinnertime!"

Heiji and Conan waved goodbye and entered the rental car.

"Hey Kudou, are you gonna be okay?" he asked as he started the ignition. "Ran did have a good point that you are still sick…"

Conan yawned and leaned his head against the window. "I'm feeling a lot better," he replied, "I just need a bit of rest before we get there…" He closed his eyes and his breathing evened out almost immediately.

Heiji smirked as he watched Conan sleeping. He could tell that Conan was telling the truth about feeling better, and that was a good thing since he was sick for over a month. He then began thinking about the love letter Ai wrote for Conan.

 _Dear Shinichi,_

 _I know it isn't like me to write something to you, but I just can't say it. Ever since I first saw you in your true body, I felt something different… After a while, I realized that something was love._

 _I was surprised by many things about you. First off, you were more handsome than I initially thought when I saw your child body. You looked intelligent without even needing braces or glasses! You are also the smartest and most charming guy I know. You always know what to say to someone, even if it makes them upset or surprised. Your deductive reasoning probably told you long ago that I liked you, but you felt nervous too, didn't you? Love can be quite impactful in our short lives._

 _You may hate me for many reasons (mainly for creating the APTX 4869), but I will never be able to relinquish my love for you. I may sound selfish when I say that, so I should probably reword… I want you to decide who you love and to be happy, but… could you make me happy too?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Haibara Ai aka Miyano Shiho_

Heiji laughed again; he enjoyed romance stories like these in which they both have feelings for each other but can't admit it. He knew Ai was a huge tsundere and Conan had two girls to choose from, but he couldn't help but feel envious. As if like magic, his phone rang.

"Hello, who is this?"

" _Baka_! Why haven't you answered your phone?"

Heiji cringed. "Hey, Kazuha… how's everything going?"

"Stop it, Heiji!" she cried. "You made me worry for a whole week! You suddenly leave Osaka on a 'secret trip' and don't answer your phone; I was about to call your dad to find you!"

Heiji sighed. "Sorry," he whispered. "I've just been really busy helping someone that I haven't bothered checking my phone."

Kazuha was surprised; Heiji _never_ felt guilty about something unless it involved murders. "Are you investigating a case again?"

Heiji gasped; apparently some of his skills rubbed off on her. "Y-yeah… so what?"

"Are you with that Kudou kid again?"

"I was for a while," Heiji lied, "but now I'm helping Ran take care of Conan since he's been really sick." He knew if he said a flat-out yes or no, it would be suspicious.

"Wait… the brat's sick?" she exclaimed. "What does he have?"

"He's had pneumonia for a while now, but he's finally starting to get better," Heiji replied. "In fact, I decided to take him with me while I investigate a lead to the case."

Kazuha gasped. "You can't!" she cried. "You can't be solving a serial murder; you'll be killed! And why are you taking a _kid_ with you?!"

Heiji sighed, rolling his eyes. "Its fine, Kazuha-chan," he replied, "don't forget that I _am_ a detective; I've solved these in my sleep!" He laughed to try and calm Kazuha, but she still felt reluctant.

"A-are you sure?" she whispered. "Are you sure you will make it through this case alive?"

"No," he replied, surprising her. "I never do know for sure, Kazuha. However, that is the thrill that keeps us detectives searching for more cases; we like risking our lives for something like this."

There was a long period of silence before Kazuha said anything. "Okay…" she eventually said. "Just please make sure you don't die, Heiji!"

"Don't worry, Kazuha. I'm not easy to get rid of!"

* * *

"Kudou… Oi, Kudou, get up!"

"Wha…?" Conan slowly opened his eyes and saw Heiji's blurry face above him.

"Get up, sleepyhead! Don't you want to solve this murder case?"

Conan sat up and gasped, partly because of the dizziness. "Right… where are we exactly?" He was interrupted with Heiji's sudden burst of laughter.

"You should know, _Chiisana Tantei-san_. You've been here quite often; more often than someone your age."

Conan groaned. "Don't tell me…" He looked out the window and saw the characters on a sign for 'Teitan Elementary School.' "Why are we here? Is this the school the victims' dads went to when they were kids?"

Heiji flashed a grin. "Let's start three hours ago…" he began in a mysterious whisper. "You had just fallen asleep, and I received a call from Kazuha. She started worrying like girls normally do, and that's when I got the idea: maybe the dads knew each other as early as elementary school. Thankfully, if I am wrong, the high school is fairly close since we both agree on that."

Conan frowned. "Well, there _is_ a possibility of that, but the chance of that isn't likely. My theory is that they were in some kind of club and made some kind of promise to not get ahead of each other. As a result, all but one became big in business. That would make the one who didn't want to kill the rest out of pure jealousy. But, to make his old friends feel worse, he would kill their young daughters in their own offices."

Heiji smirked. "It seems we think very similar," he said. "I also believe that one was jealous with the rest, but it may have been for another reason. But, I don't think we have time to go over our separate deductions. We should check for evidence first."

Conan nodded in agreement as Heiji pushed his wheelchair to the school. Once they reached the doors, Conan realized something. "Hattori, won't they recognize me with you?" he asked worriedly.

Heiji reached into his bag and pulled out a white mask. "Put this over your face and cover your hood," he instructed. "That way, I could make up an alias for you." Conan did so, and they entered the school building.

"Hello, how can I help you?" an old woman at the front desk asked politely.

"Yes… you see, I am Heiji Hattori of Osaka. I am a high school detective trying to solve the recent serial killings. Could you give me any extra information?" He reached in his bag again and handed the woman a manila folder.

She quickly glanced at most of the papers until she saw the list of the victims' fathers, making her turn pale. "I… know these people…" she whispered. "They formed the karate club at this school twenty years ago when they were in high school. Their leader, Tamaki Izumi, was reckless as a teenager; as a result, he never lost in a fight, making him Japan's best during his entire high school career. The others were fairly good, but only one could stand his ground in a fight with Tamaki for more than a couple minutes: Kousei Kieran. What surprised most of us was that Kousei was the quiet reader of the group; no one understood how he could do something as complex as karate.

"Over their entire high school career, Kousei and Tamaki always went to the country finals with the rest of the team on the sidelines. When it came time for national qualifiers, they did not enter for the fear of hurting the other's pride. Because of this, they all made an agreement when their final year came to a close: they would never get ahead… they would stay equal to the others.

"That seems simple, right? It wasn't. After fifteen years, people noticed everyone was married, had at least one kid, and were presidents of large companies. However, Kousei did not excel as well as the others. He had tried becoming a writer to embrace his love for words, but he could not afford getting his work published. Actually, he lived in his mother's basement without anyone's knowledge because of his habit of spending any penny he was given. No one's really heard from him for quite a while, but there are rumors of his jealousy toward the rest of the group." She sighed. "Did I help you, _Tantei-san_?"

Heiji smiled. "You did," he replied as he bowed. "Thank you." He looked down to Conan, who had surprisingly fallen asleep and laughed as he left the school. When they both were in the car, Heiji looked through the rearview mirror and noticed Conan was breathing harder than normal and starting to sweat.

"Oi Kudou, get up!" he exclaimed.

He would not wake.

Heiji sighed as he climbed to the back seat and shook Conan. "Get up, Kudou!"

Conan slowly opened his eyes and sat up. "What's wrong, Hattori?" he asked in a whisper. "Did you realize something about the case?"

Heiji rolled his eyes. "I think you're getting sick again, Kudou," he said. "You can hardly stay awake, and you were sweating and breathing hard a bit ago."

Conan turned pale. "That was just a bad dream…" he started to reply, but was quickly interrupted by a coughing fit.

Heiji gasped, noticing blood on his white mask. "You _are_ still sick, Kudou!"

Conan started to protest, saying he was fine, but Heiji was more worried about how Ran would react. "Just rest for a bit," he said. "I'll figure out where we can hide out until this murder is solved."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Can I talk to you, Professor?"

"Of course, Heiji-kun! What's wrong?"

"Well… don't tell Ran, but… Kudou's sick again!"

"What?" Professor Agasa exclaimed. "I thought he was getting better!"

"He was…" Heiji whispered, "But he's already developing a fever and is coughing blood. Do you know where the two of us can stay so we can solve the murder in peace without Ran trying to interfere?"

Professor Agasa laughed. "You can stay at the Princess Hotel," he replied. "The owner is a good friend of mine, so he will allow you two to stay for as long as you need to… provided that you don't _live_ there or anything."

Heiji sighed in relief and thanked the professor before hanging up. He looked back through the rearview mirror and saw Conan was managing to stay conscious through his worry.

"Hattori… can we do this?" he whispered. "Can we solve this in the state I'm in?"

Heiji smiled in reassurance. "It sure is weird for you to act this way…" he noted aloud. "But… well, I don't see how the two great detectives of Japan can't solve a serial murder, do you?"

Conan bit his lip. "I'm not much of one if…" He started having another coughing fit, eventually making himself return to the darkness.

Heiji sighed and shook his head. "Let's hope he can recover before he loses all hope..."

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel a few hours later, Conan had not yet woken, so Heiji merely pushed him in the wheelchair to the hotel.

"Hello, how may I help you today?"

"Yes… you see, I am Heiji Hattori, a friend of Hiroshi Agasa. I would like to have a room here while I solve the recent serial murder."

"Ah, the old fool's using me again! He better pay…" But he was laughing as he handed Heiji a room key, taking no notice of the sleeping boy in the wheelchair.

Heiji sighed in relief once they entered their suite. "Thank goodness he didn't ask anything…" He pushed Conan's wheelchair up to the bed closest to the door and helped him to bed, giving him some ibuprofen to reduce his fever.

Conan slowly opened his eyes as Heiji was giving him ibuprofen. "Where…are we?" he asked in a whisper.

Heiji laughed. "We are currently residing at the Princess Hotel," he explained. "The professor is friends with the owner, so we are allowed to stay here while we solve the murder."

Conan smirked. "That sure is handy…" he said slowly as his vision faded and he slumped to one side, asleep and snoring.

Heiji shook his head as he pulled out a paper and pen. He was going to write what the old lady said to him earlier so Conan could try and solve it when he woke.

 _Kudou-_

 _You are probably curious as to what the woman said about the serial killings. We were right on assuming they had known each other in the past; they were in the same karate club in high school. Tamaki Izumi, the leader and father of the first victim, was the best in the whole country. The only one who could match with him was a man named Kousei Kieran. It seemed strange for a child like him to be so aggressive in karate; he was the silent reader type. They both were very competitive, but when it came to national qualifiers, they would not face each other if it meant hurting the other's pride._

 _During their final year of school, they all made a promise to stay equal to each other and not strive ahead of the rest. As a result, all but one became big in business and had a wife and at least one kid. The only one who didn't… was Kousei. He tried to write novels, but did not have enough money to publish his work. Last anyone heard from him was when he was living with his mom a couple years ago. Since then, no one has heard from him or seen him._

 _I personally believe Kousei is the killer, but there's not much of a motive or evidence to prove anything. When you are able to stay awake long enough, we can speak our separate theories._

 _~Heiji Hattori, Great Detective of the West_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

When Conan awoke that night, he immediately read the note and found himself surprised. He did not actually think his deduction would have been right with how fragile his mind was. He tried to stand and found that he could with ease, meaning he was finally starting to recover from his concussion and pneumonia. He quickly walked over to the desk, making sure not to wake Heiji, and found the folder with all of the case's information. He researched until his head was pounding. He looked at the clock and saw it was already eight in the morning.

He cursed silently. _Great! How am I supposed to tell Heiji…?_ He yawned and began to sway sleepily, but he was able to maneuver himself to bed before passing out.

Apparently, the sound of Conan plopping on the bed woke Heiji. "Wha…?" He sat up and surveyed the room, looking for a burglar. All he found was Conan sleeping with his glasses still on and the blankets under him.

He smiled and approached Conan. _I guess he had to go to the bathroom sometime last night…_ He carefully removed Conan's glasses and adjusted his blankets, noticing how tired Conan looked with the dark circles under his eyes. He grinned and pulled something out of his bag; it was Shinichi's old stuffed bear. He placed it next to Conan, who quickly and tightly hugged it, a single tear sliding down his face.

* * *

"Oi, Kudou…I'm going out to get us some food; I should be back in about an hour."

Conan slightly heard a voice and felt a hand on his head for a moment before the hotel door quietly closed. He opened his eyes and saw it was eleven, meaning he only slept for three hours. He yawned and sat at the desk, where all of the information was untouched from when he last checked it. He skimmed through the information until noon, as he felt his eyes grow heavy. Instead of returning to bed, he simply laid down his head on the desk and fell asleep.

About ten minutes later, Heiji returned to the hotel to find Conan asleep at the desk. He shook his head, setting the food on the counter, as he placed Conan back in bed. _He probably woke when I spoke to him and wanted to research the case…_ Acting surprisingly dense, he didn't think to realize that Conan could have been researching all the previous night as well. Normally, he would spend all of his time researching the case, but he didn't want to start until Conan awoke and gave his opinion about his theory. He was considering waking Conan but decided against it when he saw how peaceful Conan looked in sleep.

He laughed. _I guess this case has to wait a little longer…_

Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Heiji! Where are you? Is Conan with you?"

Heiji sighed. "Ran, please stop worrying! We are simply solving the case somewhere else. We will be back soon."

"Let me talk to Conan."

"Well, he's kinda asleep right now…"

"I don't care; wake him up!"

"Ran, he looks really tired. You're sure you want me to wake him?"

Ran hesitated slightly. "Y-yes… wake him."

"Ran, I wouldn't want to wake him if I were you. Don't you think he would get mad?"

Ran laughed. "He wouldn't get mad if I'm the one talking to him."

"Hmm… he sure looks peaceful while sleeping… especially with that bear of his…"

There was a period of silence before Ran said anything. "Fine," she whispered. "But why don't you tell me where you are? Why can't I be there taking care of Conan?"

"It looks like he's healing, Ran-han; he's just a bit tired. He'll wake up soon, and we will solve this case."

Ran sighed. "Can't you let someone else worry about this case?"

Heiji laughed. "I'm afraid not. No one else has the intelligence to solve it… and don't you _dare_ bring up your father!"

Ran laughed a little. "Alright… but please make sure the two of you don't do anything stupid!"

"Don't worry, Ran-han. I doubt we will let each other do anything without the other!"

* * *

Conan slept hard; so hard, in fact, that it was seven-thirty when he woke. He noticed the bear beside him and smiled as he slowly sat up and yawned.

Heiji laughed. "I see the _Suimin Tantei-han_ is finally awake… How do you feel? Are you still tired? You sure slept hard…"

Conan shrugged, yawning again. "I guess my body finally wants to heal," he said.

Heiji smirked and walked over to the desk. "How about we share what we think so far? You already know my theory, but what is yours?"

"Well… to be honest, I don't really have anything yet," he whispered sleepily, yawning. "You and I both know I would normally have one by now, but…"

"I understand," Heiji replied as he walked toward Conan and patted him on the head. "How about you get a good night's rest, and we'll talk more tomorrow?"

Conan complied and faked sleep until he heard Heiji's unmistakable snores. He quickly and quietly made his way to the desk and began researching again, staying up until the point he felt dead on his feet at eight o'clock. He knew it was bad that he stayed up for over twelve hours instead of sleeping, but he also knew he would need a lot more time to solve everything. He flopped into bed and had just dozed off when he felt something pushing him.

"Kudou, get up! We have to check some leads today!" To Heiji's surprise, Conan merely covered himself up with the blanket and began to snore. He kept shaking Conan until he eventually moaned and uncovered himself, showing bloodshot eyes and even darker shadows than the day before.

"What do you want, Hattori? I'm trying to sleep!" To Heiji, Conan sounded cranky… almost like a child.

Heiji laughed. "We have to check some leads, Kudou," he replied. "Since you look so tired, I'll probably check a few extra so you can get some sleep in between stops… Does that sound okay?"

Conan wanted to tell Heiji to do it himself, but he knew it would seem suspicious. Ignoring all light-headedness, he walked with Heiji to their rental car in the parking lot and climbed into the back seat, quickly lying down and passing out.

Heiji sighed as he adjusted Conan to an upright position and buckled him, placing a blanket over him. "I wonder why he's been so tired lately…" He merely shrugged and started to drive to their first stop: the museum.

A half hour later, they arrived at the museum in Beika City. However, it took over five minutes for Heiji to wake Conan, and he sounded crankier than before.

"Hattori! Just let me sleep!" His voice was cracked, partly because of dehydration.

"Kudou, you slept for twelve hours last night and a half hour now; you're fine! Besides…" He quickly dropped his voice. "Don't you want to finish this case?"

Conan sighed. "Yeah…" Heiji then helped him in his wheelchair and pushed him into the museum.

"Hey, Hattori… why are we at the museum, anyway?" Conan whispered, stifling a yawn.

Heiji smirked. "I am here to check the genealogy of the Kimura family," was all he said. He spoke with a young woman at the front desk, who led him to the back room, which was filled with books of different families' genealogies. She handed him the Kimura book before bowing and leaving. Heiji quickly opened it and started skimming for something of significance, not noticing Conan starting to doze off again. When he finally did look back half an hour later, Conan had just nodded off.

He sighed and shook Conan. "Oi, Kudou! Stop dozing on me here! We're both supposed to be researching, ya know!"

"Please!" Conan begged, surprising Heiji. "Please just let me sleep!"

Heiji shook his head. "I don't get it, Kudou… you slept more than I did, and you look like you didn't sleep at all…" His eyes widened as realization hit.

"I-it's not like that, Hattori!" Conan hurriedly said. "It's just that my body is trying to recover after all this time, so it's trying to force me to sleep…" He yawned and closed his eyes, expecting Heiji to try and wake him… but he didn't. Even once Conan was snoring, Heiji did not try any longer to wake him; he wanted Conan's mind to be fit and able to help him with the case.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Heiji and Conan's second stop was at the clinic in Nagoya, which was about four hours away (thankfully). Conan did seem better after the four hour sleep, but silently complained of his pounding headache and light-headedness.

Being observant as always, Heiji noticed this. "Hey Kudou… are you okay? You look like you're about to fall over."

Conan began to shrug it off, but suddenly collapsed. He tried to pick himself back up, but his body seemed like a barbell too heavy to lift.

Heiji quickly placed Conan in his wheelchair, an expression of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

The headache felt so bad it seemed like it was going to split his head open. He clutched his head and closed his eyes, growing pale.

Heiji pursed his lips and gave Conan a pill. "Take this," he whispered. "It should help with your headache."

Conan took the pill and slowly dozed off while Heiji interrogated the doctors and patients at the clinic. They were about to leave when one of the doctors stopped them.

"Is that boy okay?" she asked Heiji, gesturing to a dozing Conan. "He looks sleep-deprived and dehydrated."

Heiji shrugged. "He fell asleep at about eight last night and slept for twelve hours, as well as the whole trip here from Beika City."

The doctor's eyes narrowed. "When did you fall asleep?" she asked.

Heiji thought for a moment. "I believe it was between eight-thirty and nine… Why do you ask, Doctor?"

She sighed. "You can't be sure if he slept all night then," she said. "For all you know, he could have had a nightmare at one-thirty that kept him up the rest of the night. You should give him these at night to help him sleep and give him lots of fluids." She handed Heiji a bottle of sleeping aids specialized for children.

Heiji smiled and thanked the doctor, carefully pushing the wheelchair back to the car. He knew they could make a few more stops, but he was growing tired as well. The drive was long, but they eventually made it back to the hotel, where Heiji immediately collapsed in bed after taking care of Conan.

 _Finally… I think I know who the killer is…_

Once Heiji began to snore, Conan was just starting to wake up. He was surprised to find they were back at the hotel already, even though they only made two stops. He looked over, seeing Heiji asleep, and grinned. He quickly returned to the desk to find the notes Heiji had taken during the two stops. He read them over, but an overwhelming amount of pain overtook him before he could make a deduction, causing him to cry out and fall to the floor.

"Wha…?" Heiji's snores abruptly stopped and he quickly sat up. He gasped as he saw Conan passed out on the floor by the desk. He tried to shake him awake, but he barely came to.

"W-what happened?" he asked shakily, clutching his head.

Heiji shook his head as he carried Conan back to bed. "Apparently, that doctor was right… you _are_ sleep-deprived." He handed Conan a glass of water and instructed him to drink all of it. What Conan did not know was that it actually had one of the pills dissolved in it, so he quickly fell asleep… or so Heiji thought. He managed to stay partially awake until Heiji returned to bed. He walked to the desk yet again and found that the pill was clearing his headache, allowing him to make a deduction.

 _If this is so… if this happened on this day… yes, it all fits! I know who the culprit is! Hang on… this says this… that says that… it can't be him them…_ His thoughts were as scrambled as the pieces of paper on the desk. Before he knew it, it was already eight o'clock again, and he still wasn't sure about the culprit's identity. He was surprised that he was able to fight a sleeping pill for so long, but it wasn't going to give up that easily. He shuffled over to his bed and allowed the pill to finally overtake him.

Giving Conan even more bad luck, Heiji then woke up. He quietly walked over to Conan's bed and shook him. "Get up, Kudou… we need to make more stops today…"

Conan moaned sleepily and tried to cover himself with the blanket, but Heiji threw it off of him. "Come on, Kudou!" he exclaimed. "We have to get going now if we want to make it to Kyoto and back before nightfall!"

Conan managed to stumble to his wheelchair before completely passing out, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open.

Heiji laughed. _It seems that pill really does quite a number on him… Let's hope he can recover soon; we don't need any more murder victims!_


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

When they arrived at the Takahashi household in Kyoto, Conan was still heavily asleep and loudly snoring. Heiji tried waking him, but the pill would not let up.

He laughed. "Suit yourself… you can stay here…" He unbuckled Conan and lied him down in the back seat, covering him with a blanket, before knocking on the front door. The person that answered was Mitskuni Takahashi, father of Yuno and a former karate club member.

"Hello, are you by chance Heiji Hattori of Osaka?"

"Yes I am!"

"Well, it's good to see you… Didn't you say you were bringing a kid along?"

Heiji gestured to the car and smiled. "He's asleep, so I thought it best to leave him there."

"No, you can bring him to the living room to rest! No one else is home, as you requested over the phone."

Heiji laughed and returned to the car, carefully picking up Conan and carrying him in the house. Naturally, the house for the president of the country's leading toy company was filled with grandeur.

"Come; the living room is this way." Mitskuni led Heiji through a long hallway until it eventually opened up to a large living room with multiple sofas, billiard tables, and even a hot tub. "You can place the boy here on the sofa closest to the hallway." Heiji carefully did so, trying not to wake Conan. He did stir slightly, but after a few seconds, he was snoring again.

Mitskuni laughed. "I know my dear Yuno was the same way… always sleeping. She hated mornings, for it woke her of what her and her mother called 'beauty rest.'"

"Speaking of which… where is your wife?"

Mitskuni's expression darkened. "I-I guess I forgot to tell you on the phone… You see, she felt awful after Yuno was killed… as if it was her own fault. She…" His voice faltered as tears began to form. "She killed herself a couple weeks ago."

Heiji grimaced. "Sorry…" he whispered. "It must be painful having to bring her up… How about we begin the house search, starting with Yuno's room?"

Mitskuni agreed, and they headed to the second floor, which was split in half between Yuno's room and her parents' room. He opened the door to his daughter's room, and it was _massive_. With her father being the president of a toy company, Yuno got any toy she wanted and was even allowed to make designs for the company.

Heiji gave a low whistle. "This sure is a large room…"

Mitskuni smiled a little. "This was my wife's pride and joy. She put her heart into this room to make our daughter happy."

"Sir, did either of the girls keep a diary?" Heiji interrupted.

"Well…" Mitskuni thought for a moment. "I believe my wife had one… but why would you need it?"

"I need to see entries from up to a year before Yuno's death. Could you show them to me?" Heiji completely ignored Mitskuni's question.

"S-sure… Come this way…" Mitskuni led Heiji to his bedroom and opened the closet door; that alone could have held a billiard table or two. He began rummaging through a few boxes until he finally found an old journal. "This was my wife's, so please be careful with it!"

Heiji laughed as he opened it. "Don't worry, Sir; you can trust me!"

* * *

"Thank you for letting me read this, Sir. It has been of great help."

"I-is there anything else I can do for you?"

Heiji looked at his watch and saw it was already three o'clock. "No…" He yawned slightly. "I need to drive home soon, or else that kid's gonna be mad when he's not in bed in time…" He laughed and said goodbye, walking to the living room to get Conan. Surprisingly, he was still asleep.

 _That pill sure must be strong…_ Heiji thought as he placed Conan in the car and covered him with the blanket. He started the car and was about to back out when Conan finally awoke.

"Hey, you're finally awake!" Heiji exclaimed. "I thought you would sleep forever! How about we get some lunch while we're here in Kyoto?"

Conan yawned greatly. "W-what time is it?" he asked sleepily. "How long was I asleep?"

Heiji did some quick mental math. "Oh, you were out for _only_ seven hours! Seriously Kudou, how can you sleep for seven hours after sleeping all night?"

Conan shrugged and yawned again. "I guess it's because I'm tired…" He leaned his head against the window and was out like a light.

Heiji laughed and drove to a nearby ramen place. He shook Conan. "Come on, Kudou… let's get something to eat! You haven't eaten anything for two days!"

Conan knew he was right, so he sat in his wheelchair, and the two of them ate ramen. For some reason, Conan wasn't his usual hungry self.

"Oi, Kudou… are you okay? You haven't eaten much…"

Conan looked Heiji directly in the eye, showing how tired he felt without holding anything back. "I'm just tired…" he whispered.

Heiji stopped eating his sixth bowl of ramen, paid the owner, and rolled the wheelchair back to the car. "You can rest on the way home," he whispered as he helped Conan buckle. He then climbed into the driver seat and started driving. They barely made it back to the hotel room before Heiji passed out on the bed, completely drained.

Ignoring all wants of sleep, Conan walked over to the desk and read the notes Heiji took while in Kyoto. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't hear a man walk up behind him and knock him out with a lead pipe.

The sound of the pipe hitting Conan's head woke Heiji. "Wha…?" He sat up and saw the man jump out the window. His mouth flew open and he rushed to look outside; their room was on the twelfth floor. All he could see was… a hang-glider. He rushed back to Conan, where a note was lying next to him.

 _To the two Chiisana Tantei-san:_

 _Just give this case a rest, will ya? You're gonna kill somebody… and that's yourselves!_

 _-Kaito Kid_

Next to the note was a bottle of sleeping pills. Heiji shook his head. _No wonder people can't stand that guy…How does he expect us to be taking another break from this? At that rate, all elementary females would be killed!_

* * *

To give Kaito's plan a downfall, Conan woke after only an hour. He was rather confused as to why he was in bed at eleven with a dull pain in his head. He walked to the desk once again and saw the note. He sighed and shook his head, throwing the note away. He went through the notes one final time at six and came to a conclusion on the killer's identity. He noticed it was earlier than normal, so he climbed in his bed and passed out before he could even cover himself.

Two hours later, Heiji crawled over to Conan's bedside. "Kudou… can I ask you something?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" Conan moaned, barely awake.

"Is _he_ the killer?" he asked, mouthing a name.

"Yes…"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Heiji patted Conan on the head, telling him to rest, and gave him one of the pills. _Finally,_ he thought as he put on his jacket, _it is time to catch the serial killer!_ He felt slightly bad about leaving Conan while he went "hunting," but he knew Conan would also feel grateful for the extra sleep.

The owner of the hotel laughed when he saw Heiji leaving so early. "I see you're busy again…"

Heiji nodded. "I am going to finish this case today," he said before walking out the door, leaving the owner surprised.

For some reason, his hands were shaking when he placed them on the steering wheel. _Could it be… am I nervous about making this deduction? Am I worried about this guy? He's no worse than any of the others; they are all murderers! But… maybe I should have told him that this is my first serial murder case… Maybe then he could have made this easier—No. I never did want it easier; I'm the one meant for perplexing challenges!_ His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang.

"H-hello?" His voice shook even though he thought he wasn't nervous anymore.

"Ah, Heiji-kun! How is the case going? More importantly, how is Shinichi?"

Heiji took a deep breath before replying. "They're both fine. Well, Kudou is always tired for some reason, and I'm actually going to confront the killer now…"

"Ah! Good luck! And please make sure Shinichi doesn't do too much…"

"Don't worry; I left him at the hotel room to rest."

"Good… well, should I drive up to Beika City to pick up the two of you?"

"No, that's fine… This shouldn't take too long…"

Professor Agasa laughed. "Alright…" They said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving Heiji with a nauseous feeling in his stomach.

 _Come on, Heiji; you can do this! This is just like any of the other cases…_ But he knew he was lying; this case was more personal than any other. He felt anger fill his veins as he began driving to an apartment complex in downtown Beika City.

* * *

"Hello, who are you seeing?"

Heiji said the killer's name and was let in the complex. He rushed to the door, but found it… unlocked. He swung the door open, and his nose was filled with a stench he can never forget: that of a dead body. He rushed to the bedroom and found a single body: Kousei Kieran, aka Doctor Tanaka.

 _Kousei was troubled as a child. His father died when he was young, so his mother became depressed, leaving her young son to fend for himself. Luckily, a boy named Tamaki Izumi found him crying outside in the rain._

 _"Hey… are you okay?" Tamaki held out his hand to Kousei, who took it and began to cry to Tamaki, "My dad's dead, my mom doesn't care about me… The world hates me!"_

 _Tamaki laughed and hugged Kousei. "The world doesn't hate anyone," he whispered, "It just likes some people more than others."_

 _Little Kousei was taken in with Tamaki's group, where he was treated like a normal child. His grades soared, and he found a love for reading. He was thankful to have someone like Tamaki to help him; he would have died without him._

 _Then came high school. They asked the principal to form a karate club, and she surprisingly agreed, saying it would be nice for some recognition for the school. They all trained hard in karate and school. They sometimes used their karate to fight each other for which guy would take a girl to prom!_

 _At the end of their final year of high school, they made a promise to stay equal and not get ahead of each other. So they all strived toward the business industry… except Kousei. He wanted to write novels, but sadly could not afford publishing. To make him more depressed, his mom died from a terminal illness the previous year. He began to feel something he never did before toward the members of the karate club: hatred._

 _He wanted them all to die and suffer what he's had to. However, he knew that wouldn't solve anything; they would just get out the easy way. So he lured their daughters in different ways, from writing a name to showing family ties to reminding of past memories, and killed them with cyanide and a stab wound in their right arm._

 _Kousei thought of these memories as he held a gun up to his mouth. "I regret nothing," he said as he fired, blowing his head apart into many pieces and scattering all over the room._

Heiji gasped in horror as he saw the scene. "What…? Why?" He couldn't say anything more; he was in shock that all of it… all of the searching was for nothing.

"H-heiji?" A shaky voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is that you, Son?"

Heiji gasped again. "Dad?" He opened the closet door and found his father tied up against a pole. "You're okay!" He collapsed next to his father as tears streamed down his face. "I was worried… that you wouldn't make it…"

Heizo Hattori laughed. "You should know better, Son!" he exclaimed, rubbing the wrist that was hand-cuffed for all this time. "In case you forgot, I am the Superintendent Supervisor of the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters! I knew this case _way_ before anyone else!"

Heiji shook his head and helped his father stand. "Come on; let's go home."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Once all of the stress from the case was dealt with, Heiji found himself weary. His father laughed and told him to rest while he drove back to Osaka.

"Wait!" Heiji interrupted, stifling a yawn. "There is someone waiting for me at the Princess Hotel nearby. Could you drop me off there, and you can drive home?"

Heizo laughed and agreed as he started the ignition. A few minutes later, they were in the hotel parking lot.

"Well…I should thank you, Son… for saving my life." He hugged his son and left, leaving Heiji in tears. He walked in the hotel, where the owner was by the door.

"Ah, Hattori! I presume you solved it, yes?"

Heiji smiled. "Yes," he replied, "it's solved and over with. Now, I get a long-deserved sleep…" He then headed upstairs, the owner's laughter following him. Once he entered the room, he was surprised to find Conan still asleep and snoring. He laid in his own bed and dialed the professor's number.

"Heiji! How did it go?"

"It's done… it's all over…"

Professor Agasa laughed. "That's good… but I can tell you're tired. Do you want me to pick the two of you up?"

Heiji yawned. "Yeah… that would be nice… Actually, could you pick the two of us up in Yokohama?"

"Alright…I will be there soon." The call then ended, and Heiji packed up everything in the car, including the sleeping Conan. Even if the drive from Beika City to Yokohama was just over half an hour, Heiji barely made it to the gas station before climbing to the passenger seat and beginning to doze off. Right before he fell asleep, Conan awoke.

"Heiji?" he whispered, half-awake. "Did we get him? Has justice been served?"

"Yes," he lied, and they both fell asleep. Heiji did not tell the truth because he knew Conan would grow both mad and depressed that all of this was for nothing. Heiji couldn't deny that he was slightly depressed, but he knew Conan would feel worse from all the extra work he put in while sick and suffering a concussion.

Two-and-a-half hours later, Professor Agasa arrived at the gas station with Ran and Ai, who quickly hurried over to the car and woke the two boys.

"How could you?" Ran was shouting at Heiji. "How could you just leave and solve a _serial murder_ with a boy who is sick with _pneumonia_?"

"Why, Kudou-kun?" Ai exclaimed to Conan at the same time. "Why did you leave us like that? We were worried that you both would die!"

"Please stop yelling…" Conan whispered, clutching his head. Everyone immediately silenced. "My head still hurts from the pill…" He slowly slumped to one side and began snoring.

"A 'pill?'" Ran echoed, turning toward Heiji. "What is he talking about, Heiji-kun?"

Heiji looked downward. "Well, since he's been really tired lately, I gave him a sleeping pill before confronting the killer. Don't worry! It was given to me by a doctor who happened to see him."

Ran sighed. "Do you know why he wasn't sleeping well?" she started to ask, but Heiji had also fallen asleep. She shook her head. "They're all yours, Professor!" She and Ai then climbed back in the professor's car while he climbed in the rental car and began the drive back.

Most of the car ride was complete silence. Eventually, about halfway home, Heiji finally awoke, yawning and stretching.

"Ah, you're finally up!" Professor Agasa smiled at Heiji. "I have a question for you, now that you're up… what was that pill that you gave to Shinichi?"

Heiji rummaged in his bag and handed Professor Agasa the bottle. "This is it."

Professor Agasa's eyes widened for a bit before he laughed and handed the bottle back. "This is the strongest sleeping pill for kids," he said. "That explains why he's slept so long…"

Conan moaned sleepily and slowly opened his eyes. "Professor?" he whispered. "Is that really you? Does that mean it's over?"

Professor Agasa laughed again. "Yes, it's me," he replied quietly and soothingly. "It's all over… Also, I have a question for you, Shinichi… How many did you have this time?"

Conan yawned as he gave a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"How many all-nighters did you have?"

Conan smiled. "How many nights have we been gone?" he responded.

Professor Agasa shook his head. "You know that's not good for you, especially with that child body of yours… It's no wonder why you've been so tired lately!"

Conan laughed a little before falling asleep again.

Heiji eyed the professor. "Wait…are you telling me he was up _every night_ solving the case while I slept?"

"Yes," Professor Agasa replied. "I have known Shinichi since he was quite young, and whenever he had a troubling case, he would pull multiple all-nighters, trying to find the answer. Sometimes, I had to call his school for him because he was so tired!"

Heiji sighed. " _That_ explains it… but why didn't he tell me? It would've been nice to know that sooner!"

Professor Agasa smiled. "That's just how he is…" he said. "Shinichi is the kind of person to do all of the extra work, yet feels embarrassed to admit to it. That was how it was whenever his parents were home; he would pull multiple all-nighters, then they would be confused as to why he was home instead of at school. Eventually they figured it out, but his mother was never happy… she said it was just like his dad."

Heiji's mouth flew open. "He's _embarrassed_?" he exclaimed. "He gets embarrassed over pulling all-nighters?"

Professor Agasa nodded. "I am not sure why, but he's always been that way… My guess is that he doesn't want people to worry about him simply because he's staying up late. However, he would usually stay up until as late as ten the next morning before passing out! His parents and I tried to explain the dangers of it, but he simply didn't care…"

Heiji smirked. "I guess he and I are quite similar…" he whispered as he closed his eyes and dozed off.

Conan, having heard that in his subconscious state of mind, began wishing for only one thing when he awoke. _I wish… to see Ran beside me when I awake… and with a smile on her face. I want her to know it's finally over, I am healed, and we can finally go home._


	28. Epilogue

Epilogue

When Conan awoke the next day, his wish came true; Ran was sitting next to him and smiling. "It's over…" she whispered. "We can finally go home!" She then carried him to Heiji's room to wake him.

"Hattori…" he said quietly. "It's over!"

Heiji sat up as they embraced, whispered thank you's, and fell asleep again. Ran shook her head, leaving the room quietly to wake Ai.

"Ai-chan… get up... you wanna see Conan-kun, right?"

Ai bolted upright and dashed upstairs, sitting next to Conan's sleeping form.

"Thank you…Kudou-kun…" She looked up to Ran. "When can you go home?"

Ran smiled. "I will probably wait until this afternoon so he can sleep off that pill," she replied as she carefully picked up Conan. "Could you wake the professor and tell him to start packing?" Ai did so, and Ran carried Conan back to his room.

"Ran…" Conan whispered, stirring slightly as she laid him in bed. "Can I… stay with the professor? I don't want you getting sick because of me…" He coughed and opened his eyes, showing his concern.

Ran sighed. "I don't see why you can't for a few more days, but you need to go back to school sometime! Besides, aren't you recovering from the pneumonia…?" She looked to Conan, who had cuddled up against her and dozed off. She rumpled his hair and started packing his things in a large suitcase. She noticed a notebook on the desk that was open to a few days previously.

 _Today isn't going so well. I have had way too many all-nighters already, yet I can't figure out anything. I know people will start to worry that I can hardly stay awake, but I don't really have much of a choice if I want this case solved. I know it will take a toll on my mind for the next few days, but I know Heiji has been sneaking sleeping pills in my drinks. I am surprised I am fighting it right now; it's already been six hours!_

 _Enough small talk. I know that having pneumonia for this long is unnatural and deteriorating my immune system. My theory is that I will catch everything because of it; even if I no longer have the pneumonia. It has torn me up so badly that I can't fight off any illness. If Hattori or Ran is reading this, then please try to take me to a doctor for shots… I need them!_

Ran immediately set down the journal and felt Conan's forehead. His prediction was right; he had a slight fever. She pursed her lips and gave him a dose of ibuprofen, as well as a spare sleeping pill, before waking Heiji.

"What's up, Ran?" Heiji asked as he slowly sat up.

Ran handed him the journal opened to its latest entry. His eyes widened. "He's that bad?"

Ran nodded. "I felt his head… he has a fever again, so I gave him ibuprofen and a sleeping pill for the trip home. Do you think we could take him to a doctor for shots?"

Heiji immediately agreed, and the two quickly packed their things.

"Well, you sure packed fast!" Professor Agasa laughed as he entered the living room, which was filled with their bags. "I still have to pack my tools!"

Ran slowly looked at the professor with a nervous expression as she gave him the journal. He quickly read it and grew pale. "Are we taking him to one?" he asked.

Heiji nodded. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Professor Agasa smiled. "No, we don't. Let's just hope those shots can help him…"

* * *

After a three hour drive and six shots, Conan was finally in bed at Professor Agasa's house. Ran and Heiji were keeping an eye on him while the professor called his parents and explained everything about the case and illness. He had not yet woken from the pill Ran gave him in the morning, which was worrying her.

"Shouldn't he be awake by now?" Ran asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

Heiji smirked. "In case you forgot, this is the strongest sleeping pill for kids," he replied, "so he will probably be asleep until tomorrow. Why don't you get some sleep too; you look almost as bad as he does!"

Ran yawned and sleepily walked to the couch moved to the room, collapsing and snoring. Heiji laughed and covered her with a spare blanket before returning to Conan's bedside. He thought he had lied his head down for a few minutes to rest, but the next thing he remembered was someone shaking him.

"Heiji-kun, wake up! I need to see Shin-chan!" The voice was unmistakable. Heiji opened his eyes and saw Conan's—or rather, Shinichi's—parents.

"How is he?" Yusaku Kudou asked. "We got a call from Agasa after leaving the airport saying he wasn't doing too good… What happened?"

Heiji sighed. "Well… did you two hear about the serial murderer recently?"

Yukiko nodded. "I heard that many female elementary children have been killed…" She gasped. "Were you two solving it during this whole time?"

Heiji nodded. "Well, I would have to say your son put more time into it…" He briefly explained about the pneumonia, attack leading to a concussion, and his all-nighters.

Both parents shook their heads. They knew it wasn't surprising that he put forth so much work for this case.

"Also…" Heiji added in a whisper. "Don't tell him, but… the culprit committed suicide about three days ago."

Yusaku nodded. "I understand," he replied. "But exactly how many all-nighters did my son have during this case?"

Heiji thought for a moment. "He had four," he said, grimacing. "Four in a row…"

Yusaku sighed and rumpled his son's hair. "He's just like me…" he laughed. "I used to do the same thing whenever I was solving cases… Yukiko hated it when I had more than one, however, so I usually did it every other night."

Yukiko nodded in agreement. "I never let him do it more than once in a row," she said. "I am the same with Shin-chan, but I guess he didn't want to stop…" She grinned. "But I must say… he must have a strong sleeping pill right now… right?"

Heiji smirked. "Yeah," he replied, "he has the strongest one for kids. A doctor saw him while I was interrogating and gave me the bottle since he looked so sleep-deprived…"

"How did you not figure out that he was pulling all-nighters?" Yusaku interrupted. "Aren't you the kid that is equal to my son in intelligence?"

Heiji grinned. "I am, but I guess I just believed it when he said he was finally starting to heal from the pneumonia… Besides, I didn't think he would try doing multiple; even I don't try that! But the professor said that Kudou just doesn't care how long he has to lose sleep… as long as he solves the case."

Just then, Conan woke up.

"Mom? Dad?" he whispered, slowly opening his eyes. He tried to sit up, but Yukiko stopped him.

"Now wait just a second there, _Chiisana Tantei-san_!" she said with a smile. "Heiji-chan just told me and your father that you pulled four all-nighters trying to solve a serial murder… Remember what your father and I said about doing that?"

Conan groaned. "But I had to…" he said, his voice cracking. "We wouldn't have solved it if I didn't do that!"

Yukiko was about to interrupt, but her husband stopped her. "He does have a point," he spoke quietly. "If he didn't do that, Heizo could have easily died, making Heiji too depressed to do anything toward the case."

Yukiko looked downward. "Alright…" she sighed, rumpling Conan's hair. "I guess you can get out of punishment this time… but _please_ try to be more careful, Shin-chan! You don't want anything bad happening to you or someone you care about, right?"

Conan smiled. "Don't worry about me…" he whispered as he closed his eyes and turned away from everyone. His breathing evened out almost immediately.

Yusaku and Yukiko stood up, watching their son sleep. "We should be going." They said their goodbyes to Heiji, patting a dozing Ran on the head before walking out of the room.

Heiji laughed. "Those two are just like their son…"

* * *

Two days later, Conan was allowed to go back to school. However, he hesitated when he got to his classroom door.

 _What are they going to think when I come back after being gone for over a month? Are the teachers suspicious of hooky?_ A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Conan-kun! You're back!" Ayumi rushed to him and hugged him. "I was worried about you! Are you feeling all better?"

Conan nodded, and Ayumi opened the classroom door. "Look guys; Conan's back!"

The class began to mutter amongst each other, failing to notice one thing different about Conan: the white face mask he was wearing.

* * *

 _ **Author's (Very Late) Update: So I don't believe I will be continuing this story. Yes, there may be more to it, but I just don't really like this very well. It's poorly written, very short, and...ugh. I would just delete it, but I can see a couple people are actually reading it, so I'll let them be. If you really, really loved this, you can request for a couple of the chapters from part two, but I only wrote so much before quitting to start Life's Full of Surprises, which is much better in terms of detail, length, and overall composition style...if that makes sense. Life's Full of Surprises will end eventually though, and I will start another project similar to this where Heiji and Conan are in it solving a murder. Again, it will be much better in terms of all the requirements I gave myself, and I feel it's going to be beautiful~  
**_


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